House of Commons Commission

Members' Constituency Work

John Spellar: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission is taking steps to enable retiring or defeated hon. Members to legally transfer their casework files to their successors.

Sir Charles Walker: The House of Commons Commission has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Education

Climate Change Convention: Young People

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the number of youth negotiators at the next COP conference.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase youth participation in climate negotiations.

Nick Gibb: Prior to the publication of the Department’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy in April 2022, the Sustainability and Climate Change Unit engaged young people in the development of the strategy. The Department’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainability-and-climate-change-strategy/sustainability-and-climate-change-a-strategy-for-the-education-and-childrens-services-systems.Youth engagement remains a priority. The Department will be supported by two volunteer Youth Focal Points who will be between the ages of 18 and 25. They will engage with other young people directly, work with policy leads and attend events both in the UK and internationally, including attending Conference of the Parties (COPs).Throughout its Presidency year, the UK Government engaged with young people. Ahead of COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh, the UK COP Presidency supported the COP26 Indigenous Youth Programme and the Climate Youth Negotiators Programme. The programmes helped support young people with access and funding to attend COP27.The Government will keep working with youth and other groups set up by Non-Governmental Organisations to ensure the United Arab Emirates COP Presidency promotes full participation.

Students: Loans

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to take steps to increase maintenance loans for university students in line with inflation.

Robert Halfon: The government reviews the support provided towards students’ living costs on an annual basis.The department has continued to increase maximum loans for living costs each year, with a 2.3% increase for the 2022/23 academic year and a further 2.8% increase for the 2023/24 academic year.Students who have been awarded a loan for living costs that is lower than the maximum for the 2022/23 academic year and whose household income for the tax year 2022/23 has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment can apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year which have impacted students.On 11 January 2023, the department announced that student premium funding would be boosted by £15 million. There is now £276 million of student premium funding available this academic year to support students who need additional help. This extra funding will supplement the help universities are already providing through their own bursary, scholarship and hardship support schemes.The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) is available to over 900,000 households in Great Britain who do not have a domestic electricity supply and were not eligible to receive support automatically through the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS), providing them with £400 to support them with their energy bills. This includes students who receive their electricity through an intermediary (such as a letting agency or a landlord) who has a commercial electricity supply.Between October 2022 and March 2023, all households saved money on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee. This was in addition to the £400 energy bills discount for all households. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier were eligible for the energy bills discount.​Together with the higher education sector, we are doing all that we can to support students facing hardship. However, decisions on student finance have to be taken alongside other spending priorities to ensure the system remains financially sustainable and the costs of higher education are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university.

Childcare: St Helens

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will bring forward plans to provide immediate financial support to help families in St Helens meet childcare costs.

Claire Coutinho: In the Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend, Chancellor of the Exchequer announced transformative reforms to childcare.By 2027/28, the government expects to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping families with pre-school children with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England. Full details are accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-unveils-a-budget-for-growth.Our reforms include:Providing over £4.1 billion by 2027/28 to fund 30 hours of free childcare for children over the age of nine months.Investing £204 million from this September, rising to £288 million next year, to uplift the rates for existing entitlements.Increasing the supply of wraparound care through £289 million start-up funding.Attracting more people to childminding through an up to £7.2 million start-up grant fund.Giving providers more flexibility by changing staff to child ratios to 1:5 for two-year-olds in England.Launching a consultation on further measures to support reform of the childcare market.This is a massive expansion in the offer and will take some time to implement and rollout. We want to ensure that taxpayers’ money is used efficiently, and that the new offer is delivered in the best way.The department is working closely with the sector on the implementation of these reforms, to identify what needs to be in place to support this significant expansion in childcare provision. We will set out further details in due course.​The department’s Childcare Choices communications campaign aims to ensure parents, including families in St Helens, know about the government-funded support they are eligible for. ​The government has doubled the entitlement for working parents of three and four-year-olds to 30 hours and introduced 15 free hours a week for disadvantaged two-year-olds. In addition, working parents on Universal Credit may be eligible for help with up to 85% of their childcare costs every month. More information is available at: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.Details on the full range of support available to parents can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs.

Young People: Homelessness

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that homeless 16 and 17 years are accommodated by their local authority under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989.

Claire Coutinho: The government published joint guidance in 2018 that sets out the expectations of local authorities in relation to homeless 16 and 17-year-olds. The guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/712467/Provision_of_accommodation_for_16_and_17_year_olds_who_may_be_homeless.pdf.The expectation is that in circumstances where a 16 or 17-year-old is homeless, and mediation on living at home has not been possible or not prevented them being homeless, they would be accommodated as a Looked After Child (LAC) under section 20 of the Children’s Act. If they are then accommodated as a LAC for at least 13 weeks, they are entitled to a leaving care support package.

Childcare: Fees and Charges

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will bring forward plans to provide immediate financial support to help families meet childcare costs.

Claire Coutinho: In the Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, this government expects to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping families with pre-school children with their childcare costs.This is the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever and so it is right that we make sure the workforce and the sector are ready for the changes that are coming. The department anticipates rolling out the expansion to entitlements as follows: 15 hours for eligible working parents of 2-year-olds from April 2024, 15 hours for eligible working parents of children aged 9 months to 24 months from September 2024, and a full 30 hours for eligible working parents of children aged 9 months to two years from September 2025. The department is phasing implementation in this way to allow the market to develop the necessary capacity. Full details can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-unveils-a-budget-for-growth.In July 2022, the department announced measures to increase take-up of childcare support to ensure that families can access government support to save them money on their childcare bills. This included our £1.2 million Childcare Choices communications campaign to ensure every parent knows about the government funded support they are eligible for.This department has doubled the entitlement for working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds to 30 hours and introduced 15 free hours a week for disadvantaged 2-year-olds. On top of this, working parents on Universal Credit may be eligible for help with up to 85% of their childcare costs every month.Parents who sign up to Tax Free Childcare can get a government contribution of £2 for every £8 they deposit into an online childcare account. This is worth up to £2,000 off the cost of their childcare every year, or up to £4,000 if their child is disabled.

Speech and Language Therapy: Integrated Care Boards

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan published on 2 March 2023, what the process will be for selecting Integrated Care Boards to be Early Language and Support For Every Child (ELSEC) pathfinders.

Claire Coutinho: The selection of Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) is dependent on the lead local authority identification process and the subsequent mapping of Regional Expert Partnerships (REPs), based on geographical boundaries.Lead local authorities and REPs will be testing and refining the system-level reforms set out in the Improvement Plan, including the Early Language Support for Every Child (ELSEC) pilot. Selection of lead local authorities will determine how and where a REP is formed, with the appropriate ICBs then forming part of the local area. Wherever possible, the local authorities forming a REP will sit within a single ICB to ensure close collaboration with health partners.

Special Educational Needs

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure local authorities fulfil their obligations to (a) existing legislation and (b) proposed National Standards on the provision of support to children with special educational needs.

Claire Coutinho: ​​There are existing statutory duties on local authorities, education providers and others to plan and deliver services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), including those in the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Equality Act 2010. The department holds local areas to account for meeting these duties and the needs of children and young people with SEN and/or disabilities, including through Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections, academy trust funding agreements and support and interventions in local areas.​In the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published 2 March 2023, the department committed to a range of strengthened accountability measures to ensure effective local delivery against existing legislation and the proposed new National Standards.​In terms of inspection, this includes the new Ofsted and CQC Area SEND inspections, launched in January 2023, and a greater focus on SEND in the Ofsted education inspection framework. The recently published, Academies Regulation and Commissioning Review provides clear descriptors for academy trust strength. This year we will also develop a holistic intervention approach for local areas, focused on improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND or in AP. This will be based on evidence and data, including that in new SEND AP inclusion dashboards and the implementation of local inclusion plans, as well as inspection outcomes.​In addition, this year the department will review evidence of where statutory duties are met and not met across the SEND and AP system to inform our considerations of how we can better hold partners to account, should they fail to meet their statutory responsibilities.​

Special Educational Needs

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason her Department found that (a) national standards were required to underpin SEND provision and (b) that existing legislation including (i) the Equality Act 2010, (ii) the Children and Families’ Act 2014 and (iii) the SEND Code of Practice were not fit for purpose.

Claire Coutinho: The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision Green Paper highlighted that early identification of needs and provision of support does not happen consistently across the system, despite the best efforts of the workforce. The inconsistency means that parents, carers and providers do not know what to reasonably expect from their local settings, resulting in low confidence in the ability of mainstream settings to effectively meet the needs of children and young people with SEND.National Standards will set out clear expectations for the types of support that should be ordinarily available in mainstream schools, who is responsible for securing it and from which budgets. This will give families and providers clarity and confidence in the support that is ordinarily available, reducing reliance on Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans to access support.The department has a comprehensive legal framework relating to support for children and young people with SEND. At the heart is the Children and Families Act 2014, the related statutory guidance and the Equality Act 2010. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25.We will build on this foundation through the introduction of National Standards to help guarantee a more consistent level of support for those with SEND, no matter where in England they live.The department is setting up a steering group of cross sector representatives, that will include parent-carer representatives, to oversee the development of standards. We will also test the National Standards in the context of our £70 million Change Programme, to ensure they are iterated and set up for success. The development of National Standards may require some updates to SEND legislation and the SEND Code of Practice. We will publish the National Standards in full for consultation.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to ensure schools and local authorities receive adequate funding for delivering outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

Claire Coutinho: The department is committed to ensuring that children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) receive the support they need to realise their potential.Overall schools’ funding increased by £4 billion in 2022/23 compared to the previous year and will rise by a further £3.5 billion in 2023/24. The total high needs funding for 2023/24 amounts to £10.1 billion, an increase of over 50% since 2019/20, supporting children and young people with complex SEND. Every local authority in England will see a minimum per-head increase of 9.8% in their total high needs allocations in 2023/24 compared to 2022/23.

Pre-school Education: Qualifications

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has undertaken a recent review of the early years practitioner (level 2): qualifications criteria.

Claire Coutinho: The early years practitioner (level 2) qualifications criteria were updated in 2018, and came into effect on 1 September 2019. The updates to the criteria were consulted on and following feedback from the consultation, the title of early years practitioner (level 2) was introduced to recognise the skill and knowledge of level 2 members of staff.As part of the recent review of the early years educator (level 3) qualifications criteria, the department has improved the alignment between the two criteria, to improve progression from level 2 to level 3.

Special Educational Needs

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that mainstream education settings (a) support learners with SEND and (b) spend adequate amounts of funding on students with SEND.

Claire Coutinho: In the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, the department has set out the mission for more children and young people with SEND to have their needs met effectively in mainstream settings, reducing reliance on education, health and care plans to access support.The department will improve mainstream education through setting standards for early and accurate identification of need, and timely access to support to meet those needs. The standards will include clarifying the types of support that should be ordinarily available in mainstream settings, who is responsible for securing the support and from what budgets.Head teachers working directly with children and young people in schools and colleges are best placed to make decisions on how much to spend on the additional support their pupils and students need. To help mainstream schools in making those decisions, local authorities are required to identify for each school in their area an amount as a notional budget, within their overall budget allocation, for the costs of support for their pupils with special educational needs, up to £6,000 per pupil per annum.

Special Educational Needs

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's reason was for the delay in finalising its SEND improvement plan in the context of the announcement of the SEND Review being made in 2019.

Claire Coutinho: The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper, published in March 2022, set out a bold and ambitious plan to equip children and young people with the skills they need to succeed in later life. The department received almost 6,000 responses to the consultation, 162 from children and young people, and held or attended 175 events during the 16-week consultation period.We recognise that meaningful and significant change is required to deliver a SEND system that allows every child and young person to reach their potential, regardless of where they live or what their needs are. We know that the pandemic disproportionately impacted children and young people with SEND, exacerbating the challenges that already existed.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and I wanted to take time to listen to children and parents, as well as those working in the system, in order to get our next steps right. We wanted to understand the extensive feedback received through consultation, before publishing our full response to the green paper in the SEND and AP Improvement Plan in March 2023.The Improvement Plan outlines the department’s approach to building capacity to achieve the behaviours and culture required for the successful implementation of these policy reforms.

Schools: Racial Discrimination

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tackle racism in schools.

Claire Coutinho: ​The government condemns and strives to tackle all forms of racial discrimination, prejudice, and harassment. Under the Equality Act 2010, schools have a duty to take steps to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations across all protected characteristics, including between people of different ethnic backgrounds. The department has published advice to support schools to fulfil their duties under the Equalities Act 2010, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-act-2010-advice-for-schools?msclkid=9ce22dddcc5d11ec9a0a2d6e2fd0a666.As part of a broad and balanced curriculum, pupils should be taught about different societies, and how different groups have contributed to the development of Britain, and this can include experiences and voices of people from all backgrounds. The curriculum offers many opportunities for schools to do this, notably through citizenship education and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). The RSHE curriculum has a strong focus on equality, respect, the harmful impact of stereotyping, as well as the importance of valuing difference. Guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health.Schools should address any intolerant, racist or discriminatory views expressed by pupils through their wider anti-bullying and safeguarding policies. All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines measures to encourage good behaviour, and prevent all forms of bullying amongst pupils. The policy should set out the behaviour expected of pupils, the sanctions that will be imposed for misbehaviour, and recognition for good behaviour. This should be communicated to all pupils, school staff and parents. The department’s advice for schools, which outlines schools’ responsibilities, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying. .The department publishes information, guidance and support for teachers and school leaders on how to challenge radical views, including racist and discriminatory beliefs, on the Educate Against Hate website. This includes the Respectful School Communities toolkit, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools to develop a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline. This can help to combat bullying, harassment and prejudice of any kind, including hate-based bullying, and is available here: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/school-leaders/?filter=guidance-and-training-school-leaders.The department is also providing over £3 million of funding between August 2021 and March 2024, to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. We have deliberately focused this grant programme on preventing and tackling bullying of pupils with protected characteristics. This includes projects targeting the bullying of particular vulnerable groups, such as those who are victims of hate related bullying.

Disability and Special Educational Needs: Training

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan, published on 2 March 2023, to include a commitment to provide staff training in assistive technologies to all schools.

Claire Coutinho: High-quality teaching is central to ensuring that pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are given the best possible opportunity to achieve in their education. The SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan outlines the department’s approach to building the capacity to achieve the behaviours and the culture required for the successful implementation of these policy reforms.To support all teachers, the department is implementing a ‘golden thread’ of teacher training reforms which begins with initial teacher training and continues into early career teaching, through to middle and senior leadership. These reforms are designed to ensure teachers have the skills to support all pupils to succeed, including those with SEND.The department is expanding training to increase school staff confidence in using assistive technology (AT). Following the promising results of the initial pilot, we are extending assistive technology training to a further 150 maintained schools. The extension, known as the ‘AT Test and Learn’ programme, will teach mainstream school staff how to use AT effectively, with a focus on the technology schools already have available or can easily obtain, such as text-to-speech tools.The department wants to build on the learnings from last year’s pilot, where participants reported improved awareness, understanding and confidence in using AT and assessing its effectiveness. By running the AT Test and Learn training over 6 months and commissioning a comprehensive impact evaluation, we will gain a more thorough picture of how AT training can support wider SEND training.

Pre-school Education: Special Educational Needs

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether staff who receive the Early Years Level 3 SENCo qualification as part of the SEND and Alternative Provision Plan will be expected to train colleagues on how to identity and take early action for children with special educational needs; and whether her Department has made an assessment of the suitability of Level 3 in achieving that objective.

Claire Coutinho: The early years (EY) Level 3 SENCO qualification is designed to equip early years Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) to fulfil the role of EY SENCO as described in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) code of practice. At section 5.54, the code of practice requires EY SENCOs to ensure that all practitioners in their setting understand their responsibilities to children with SEND, the setting’s approach to identifying and meeting special educational needs, and to provide advice and support to colleagues.The qualification offered by the training provider is accredited by an Ofqual-registered awarding organisation, NCFE. Part of achieving and maintaining accreditation is demonstrating delivery of NCFE’s qualification specification, which includes a range of modules designed to equip SENCOs to fulfil the role of EY SENCO as described in the SEND code of practice.

Special Educational Needs: Teachers

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason her Department is proposing to replace the Level 7 NASENCo qualification with a new SENCo NPQ.

Claire Coutinho: The department consulted on the proposal to introduce a new leadership National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) to replace the existing qualification through the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper. As set out in the SEND and AP Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, the department will be proceeding with the proposal and the NPQ for SENCOs will become the mandatory qualification.The introduction of the NPQ will play a key role in achieving our ambition to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND by ensuring SENCOs consistently receive high-quality, evidence-based training.NPQs are designed to provide training and support for education professionals at all levels and deliver improved outcomes for children and young people. They are built with education professionals in mind, using the latest and best available evidence with content and delivery quality assured by Ofsted and the Education Endowment Foundation. A leadership NPQ will also empower SENCOs to take on leadership roles within their settings, providing the essential knowledge and skills needed to set the strategic direction of SEN policy in a school.

Disability and Special Educational Needs: Training

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan, published on 2 March 2023, to require training on special educational needs and disabilities to be included in the continuing professional development of all classroom staff.

Claire Coutinho: High-quality teaching is central to ensuring that pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are given the best possible opportunity to achieve in their education. The SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan published on 2 March outlines our approach to building capacity to achieve the behaviours and culture required for the successful implementation of these policy reforms.The department has transformed the support and training available to support teachers and leaders at every stage of their career to deliver improved outcomes for young people across the country.The golden thread of professional development begins with Initial Teacher Training (ITT) followed by a new two-year induction programme based on the Early Career Framework (ECF), which are designed to support trainees and newly qualified teachers to meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. This includes the requirement in Standard 5, that all teachers must have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including, where appropriate those identified as being neurodivergent or other special educational needs.The department has publicly committed to reviewing the ITT core content framework and ECF alongside each other into more closely combined frameworks and we will explore how to better support new teachers to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.For experienced teachers and leaders, a range of specialist and leadership National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are available. NPQs are designed to support professionals to hone and develop their existing skills, helping them to become more effective inside and outside the classroom, and ensure they support all pupils to succeed in both mainstream and specialist settings.In March 2023, as part of the Improvement Plan for SEND and AP, the department announced plans to introduce a new leadership NPQ for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCos). This new NPQ will equip SENCos with the knowledge, practical skills, and leadership expertise to shape their school’s approach to supporting children with SEND.

Special Educational Needs

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, whether her Department plans to confirm the status of pre-existing legislation in areas where National Standards are to be trialled.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to communicate with local authorities and parents in areas where National Standards for SEND provision are being trialled to make it clear that existing legislation including the (a) Equality Act 2010, (b) Children and Families’ Act 2014 and (c) SEND Code of Practice still apply.

Claire Coutinho: The new National Standards will build on the comprehensive legal framework relevant to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) by clarifying what good evidence-based provision looks like, who is responsible for securing it and from what budgets.Through the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper, the department has identified how important it is that National Standards are evidence-based and that children, young people and their families are able to feed into the development process. We are setting up a steering group of cross sector representatives, that will include parent-carer representatives, to oversee the development of standards. We will test the National Standards in the context of our £70 million Change Programme to ensure they are iterated and set up for success.The development of the National Standards may require updates to both the legislation on SEND and to the SEND Code of Practice. The department will publish the National Standards in full for consultation.

Special Educational Needs

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to ensure that people identified as having a special educational need in the education system can access the appropriate support when looking for employment in adult life.

Claire Coutinho: The department wants to provide all young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) with good opportunities which allow them to transition from education into a fulfilling adult life.On 2 March 2023, we published the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, in response to the Green Paper published in March 2022. This outlines the department’s mission for the SEND and AP system to fulfil children and young people’s potential, build parent’s trust and provide financial sustainability.The department is developing good practice guidance to support consistent, timely, high-quality transitions for children and young people with SEND and in AP. This will ultimately look at transitions between all stages of education from early years and will focus initially on transitions into and out of post-16 settings, including into employment.The department is also supporting the Department for Work and Pensions to develop an Adjustments Passport that will help to smooth the transition into employment and support people changing jobs. The Adjustments Passport will capture the in-work support needs of the individual and empower them to have confident discussions about adjustments with employers.The government is committed to supporting pathways to employment for disabled learners, including through strengthening the Supported Internships Programme. We are investing approximately £18 million until 2025 to build capacity in the Supported Internships Programme and level up the quality of internships across the country. As part of this investment, over 700 job coaches will be trained by 2025 to ensure interns receive high-quality support on their work placements.In the Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced up to £3 million to pilot extending the Supported Internships Programme to young people with learning difficulties and disabilities, but without Education, Health and Care plans.

Holiday Activities and Food Programme: Free School Meals

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children who receive free school meals have been able to access the Holiday Activities Fund (HAF) in each of the holidays since that Fund was created in (a) York and (b) England.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to assess the nutritional value of meals provided by the Holiday Activities Fund.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the impact of eligible children not accessing their right to free meals under the Holiday Activity and Food Programme on levels of food poverty of those children.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing free childcare in school holidays for children of parents who have to work during school holidays.

Claire Coutinho: This year, the government is again investing over £200 million in the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, with all local authorities in England delivering in the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays. The programme provides heathy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families, benefiting their health, wellbeing and learning.Last summer, the programme reached around 600,000 children across England, including over 475,000 children eligible for free school meals. Local authorities are responsible for the collection and assurance of data for their HAF programme. For 2023, we have added an additional requirement for every local authority to compile and publish a report on their HAF programme that covers how much HAF funding they receive and how it has been spent, along with how many children they’ve worked with in each holiday period, including breakdowns of the proportion of primary and secondary aged children and the number of children with special educational needs and disabilities or additional needs who have taken part in HAF. These reports are expected to be made available by local authorities no later than 30 June 2023.Every HAF funded holiday club must provide at least 1 meal a day, which can be breakfast, lunch or an evening meal, and meals must meet school food standards as outlined at: http://www.schoolfoodplan.com/actions/school-food-standards/.Every local authority should have in place a robust system to monitor HAF clubs they fund so that they can be assured that they meet the expected standards for the programme, and that they are providing a high quality and fun experience for children. Local authorities are asked to ensure that the offer of free holiday club provision is available for all children in receipt of benefits-related free school meals in their area, though attendance on the HAF programme is entirely voluntary.As in previous years, local authorities have discretion to use up to 15% of their funding to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children who are not in receipt of benefits-related FSM, but who the local authority believe could benefit from HAF, such as other vulnerable children. This could include, where appropriate, providing places at HAF clubs that support working families.

School Meals: Standards

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she made of the potential impact of the School Food Standards on (a) children’s health and childhood obesity and (b) the Government’s net zero carbon strategy.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential effects on health of increasing the School Food Standards minimum requirement of one portion of vegetables or salad per day; and whether she has plans to review the School Food Standards.

Nick Gibb: Obesity is a complex problem caused by many factors. The Department of Health and Social Care launched ‘Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives’ in July 2020. The strategy demonstrates an overarching campaign to reduce obesity and takes forward actions from previous chapters of the childhood obesity plan, including the ambition to halve the number of children living with obesity by 2030.The Department for Education (the Department) wants pupils to be healthy and well nourished and encourages a healthy balanced diet and healthy life choices through school funding, legislation, and guidance. The Standards for school food are set out in The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014. They are designed to ensure that schools provide pupils with healthy food and drink options, and to ensure that pupils get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day.The Department has committed to support schools to improve their sustainable practices on food. Schools can voluntarily follow the Department’s buying standards, which include advice about sustainable sourcing. The Department also recognises the importance of plant based foods from a health and environmental point of view. The School Food Standards already allow schools the freedom to provide plant based meals as needed.The School Food Standards ensure the right foods are available for pupils every day. Schools are required to provide one or more portions of vegetables or salad as an accompaniment. One or more portions of fruit must be provided every day and at least three different fruits and three different vegetables each week. My right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, have not met on this matter.The Department believes that the current standards provide a robust yet flexible framework to ensure that pupils in England continue to receive high quality and nutritious food, that builds healthy eating habits for life. The Department is keeping the standards under review.

Apprentices: Taxation

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much of the £600 million apprenticeship levy returned to his Department due to the decrease of apprenticeship starts has been allocated to Birmingham City Council.

Robert Halfon: The apprenticeship levy is an important part of the government’s reforms to create a high-quality, employer-led apprenticeships system, and it supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training.The government, via HM Revenue and Customs, collects the apprenticeship levy of 0.5% on total payroll from businesses across the UK with a payroll of more than £3 million. From this, HM Treasury (HMT) sets an English apprenticeships budget for the Department for Education, and the devolved governments receive a share of the funding calculated using the Barnett formula. The department has seen some underspends in the apprenticeships budget in previous years, and these are set out in the department’s annual report and accounts. However, this was not the case in the 2021/22 financial year, when the total spend on apprenticeships in England was £2,455 million, against the budget of £2,466 million, meaning that 99.6% of the apprenticeships budget was spent.Any underspends in overall departmental budgets by the end of the financial year are first returned to HMT, as per the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance. As employers choose which apprenticeships they offer and when, annual spend of the apprenticeship budget is subject to employer demand.The apprenticeship system is employer-led, with apprenticeship funding available for both levy-paying employers and smaller employers who do not pay the levy. Apprenticeship funding is, therefore, not allocated to organisations, such as Birmingham City Council, sectors or regions, nor to particular groups of apprentices.The government is increasing apprenticeship funding to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year to support apprenticeships growth. The department has also created flexible training models, like flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, to make apprenticeships accessible. The BBC are one of our Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agencies and have launched a training hub in Birmingham to support new apprenticeship starts in the creative sector in the West Midlands. We have also improved the transfer system to make it easier for levy paying employers to find other employers who wish to take on new apprentices with transferred funds.

T-levels: Expenditure

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2022 to Question 59062 on T-levels: Expenditure, what the actual total spend was on the T Level Programme between the financial years 2017-18 and 2022-23.

Robert Halfon: I refer the hon. Member for Chesterfield to the answer of 19 April 2023 to Question 180516.

Secondary Education: Teachers

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to take steps to increase the confidence of non-subject specialist secondary teachers in teaching (a) music, (b) drama and theatre, (c) religious education and (d) geography as additional subjects.

Nick Gibb: The number of teachers remains high, with over 465,500 full-time equivalent (FTE) working in state funded schools across the country, which is over 24,000 more than in 2010.To improve recruitment in particular subjects, a range of measures have been put in place, including bursaries, to encourage talented trainees to teach key subjects. For example, geography trainees may receive a tax-free bursary of £25,000.Responsibility for supporting non-specialist teachers rests with secondary schools, as they are best placed to assess the needs of their staff and provide appropriate support, such as continuing professional development (CPD). The Department provides support to schools through a range of relevant programmes, including in music, English (which includes drama), religious education (RE) and geography.Through the existing Music Hub programme, the Department will be placing a stronger emphasis on CPD for music education. Music Hubs currently offer CPD support, including to non-specialist secondary music teachers.In RE, the Department is continuing to offer eight-week subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses, for candidates who have the potential to become outstanding teachers, but need to increase their subject knowledge. More information on these courses is available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/subject-knowledge-enhancement-an-introduction.Although the Department does not provide specific funding for geography, non-specialist teachers secondary teachers can access resources offered by the Geographical Association at all stages of their careers to ensure they receive appropriate support and to enable them to constantly improve their practice.Across all these subjects, curriculum resources will be procured by Oak National Academy, starting with English, geography and music in the first tranche of work and subsequently for RE during the second tranche of its work. Oak will work closely with the sector and utilise sector experience when producing new materials. This will ensure that high-quality lessons are available nationwide, benefitting specialist and non-specialist secondary teachers, as well as pupils.Additionally, National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are available to education professionals at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice, to those leading multiple schools across trusts. The qualifications have been designed with professionals in mind, using the latest and best available evidence, and can be completed flexibly around existing commitments.Four specialist NPQs are available for those who want to broaden their existing knowledge, expertise, and skills in specialist areas of teaching practice. This includes an NPQ in Leading Teaching, where participants will learn how to lead the teaching and learning of a subject, year, group or phase.

Treasury

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes amounted to less than £1,000 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC has a wide-ranging approach to tackling promoters of tax avoidance. This includes taking action under the anti-avoidance regimes. For example, as at the end of March 2023, HMRC has published the names of 31 tax avoidance schemes to help alert customers and dissuade them from using these schemes. As a result of the action the Government has taken to clamp down on marketed tax avoidance, the estimated tax gap from marketed avoidance sold primarily to individuals, has fallen from an estimated £1.5 billion in 2005-06 to £0.4 billion in 2020-21.

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Failure to file returns on time amounted to £100,000 to £999,999 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: The National Penalty Processing System (NPPS) is used by HMRC to record certain types of information. NPPS is a standalone system for these purposes only. It is not used to record all penalties charged by HMRC across all of its compliance or wider activities. NPPS does not exclusively hold data relating to ‘Failure to file returns on time’ / ‘Deliberate Withholding of Information’.

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Promotion of Tax Avoidance Schemes amounted to £1,000,000 or above in each of the last five years.

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Promotion of Tax Avoidance Schemes amounted to £10,000 to £99,999 in each of the last five years

Victoria Atkins: HMRC has a wide-ranging approach to tackling promoters of tax avoidance. This includes taking action under the anti-avoidance regimes. For example, as at the end of March 2023, HMRC has published the names of 31 tax avoidance schemes to help alert customers and dissuade them from using these schemes.  As a result of the action the Government has taken to clamp down on marketed tax avoidance, the estimated tax gap from marketed avoidance sold primarily to individuals, has fallen from an estimated £1.5 billion in 2005-06 to £0.4 billion in 2020-21.

Buildings: Energy

Derek Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to reinstate VAT relief for the installation of energy saving materials in buildings intended for use solely for a relevant charitable purpose.

Victoria Atkins: The installation of energy saving materials (ESMs) in buildings intended for use solely for a relevant charitable purpose was previously eligible for VAT relief. However, as this was found to be incompatible with EU law, the relief was narrowed to exclude charitable buildings from August 2013.At Spring Budget 2023, the Government published a call for evidence on reform to the VAT relief for ESMs. Given that the UK has now left the EU, the call for evidence is seeking views on this VAT relief. The call for evidence is open until 31 May 2023, after which the Government will publish a summary of responses. Any decisions on potential changes to the VAT relief will not be made before this consultation process concludes.

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes amounted to £1,000,000 or above in each of the last five years.

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes amounted to £10,000 to £99,999 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC has a wide-ranging approach to tackling promoters of tax avoidance. This includes taking action under the anti-avoidance regimes. For example, as at the end of March 2023, HMRC has published the names of 31 tax avoidance schemes to help alert customers and dissuade them from using these schemes.  As a result of the action the Government has taken to clamp down on marketed tax avoidance, the estimated tax gap from marketed avoidance sold primarily to individuals, has fallen from an estimated £1.5 billion in 2005-06 to £0.4 billion in 2020-21.

Food Banks

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, What steps his department is taking to support food banks, in the context of rises in the cost-of-living.

John Glen: Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Government does not have any role in their operation. However, the Government recognises the challenges facing households due to elevated costs of living, and has taken further steps to protect struggling families. Taken together, support for households is worth £94 billion, or £3,300 per household on average, across 2022-23 and 2023-24. This includes targeted support for millions of the most vulnerable households this year through up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments for households on means-tested benefits, with an additional £300 for pensioner households, and £150 for individuals on disability benefits. This is in addition to the £650 Cost of Living Payment made last year to households on means-tested benefits, with additional support for pensioners and individuals on disability benefits. At Autumn Statement 2022, the Government also announced a further, twelve-month extension to the Household Support Fund in England, with £1bn additional funding (including Barnett funding for the Devolved Administrations), which started on 1 April 2023. This allows Local Authorities to provide crisis support to vulnerable households, such as through supermarket vouchers or partnering with food banks.

National Income

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of recent trends in the level of GDP.

Andrew Griffith: HM Treasury does not prepare forecasts for the UK economy, including assessments of the impact of the Budget, which are the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).The OBR judged that the overall impact of the policy package announced at Spring Budget 2023 is to increase the level of real GDP by around 0.2 per cent in 2027-28. This is the largest upward revision made to potential output as a result of government fiscal policy decisions in any of the OBR’s forecasts since 2010. Further details can be found in the OBR’s latest Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published in March 2023: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2023/

Housing: Solar Power

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of complaints submitted to the Financial Ombudsman on (a) the length of and (b) buy-out clauses in leases for solar panels on residential properties in the latest year for which data is available.

Andrew Griffith: The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is operationally independent from the Government. The FOS is responsible for collecting and publishing data about its service and is therefore better placed to respond to this question. This question has been passed to the FOS who will respond to the honourable member by letter.

Mortgages

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of rises in the cost of living on the affordability of mortgage payments.

Andrew Griffith: Mortgage arrears levels remain at historically low levels. Where mortgage holders do fall into financial difficulty, Financial Conduct Authority guidance requires firms to offer tailored support. This could include a range of measures depending on individual circumstances. The Government has also taken a number of measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans for those in receipt of an income-related benefit, and protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders. More broadly, the Government has taken decisive action to support households across the UK through the cost-of-living challenges, whilst remaining fiscally responsible. Overall, the Government is providing support worth over £94 billion over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living – an average of over £3,300 per UK household. The Government is also maintaining the Energy Price Guarantee at £2,500 for an additional three months from April, saving households an additional £160, bringing total Government support for energy bills to £1,500 for a typical household since October 2022.

Coronavirus: Government Assistance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to recover public funds received improperly during the covid-19 pandemic.

John Glen: The Government has always been clear that fraud is unacceptable. Those who attempted to defraud public funds will be subject to both criminal and commercial recovery efforts. On Covid-19 support schemes administered by HMRC, over £1.2 billion worth of grants were either blocked from being paid out or recovered through compliance work by the end of March 2022, with more work ongoing. Significant work has been underway across Government and commercial lenders to address fraudulent activity in relation to the Covid-19 loan schemes. We are working with lenders, law enforcement, and partners across Government to recover fraudulently obtained loans. We have been clear that Government will not hesitate to take criminal action against serious cases, and as of January 2023 49 arrests have been made in relation to Bounce Back Loan fraud.

Mortgages: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of households in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London that have fallen into arrears with their mortgage payments in the last (a) six and (b) 12 months.

Andrew Griffith: Mortgage arrears levels remain at historically low levels. Where mortgage borrowers do fall in financial difficulty, Financial Conduct Authority guidance requires firms to offer tailored support. This could include a range of measures depending on individual circumstances. The Government has also taken a number of measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans for those in receipt of an income-related benefit, and protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders.

Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with LINK on the numbers of free-to-use cash machines.

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help maintain the number of free-to-use cash machines.

Andrew Griffith: The government is currently taking legislation to protect access to cash across the UK through Parliament as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill 2022. The legislation will establish the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities. With regards to the provision of free-to-use ATMs, LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has made commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator. According to LINK data for February 2023, there were 39,500 free-to-use ATMs across the UK. Further information is available at: https://www.link.co.uk/initiatives/financial-inclusion-monthly-report/ Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-giftsand-overseas-travel

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Hunting

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to allow trail hunting on public land during the next hunting season.

Trudy Harrison: Issuing a license or giving permission for trail hunting is an operational matter for the landowner and those organisations with a land lease or agreement in place for government land.

Food Supply

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has held recent discussions with trade union representatives on food security.

Mark Spencer: We have recently not held discussions with trade union representatives on food security but do engage regularly with trade bodies such as the National Farmers Union and Food and Drink Federation on food security and other issues. We continue to work closely with external partners across the food supply industry to understand, assess and monitor the food and drink supply. Defra works closely with the major food retailers to understand consumer behaviour and if/how this is impacted by pressures on the supply chain. The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. Defra has a collaborative relationship with industry which allows us to effectively respond to disruption, should it occur.

Litter: St Helens

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to reduce litter in St Helens.

Rebecca Pow: Local councils are responsible for keeping their public land clear of litter and refuse. The role of Government is to enable and support local action. Our Litter Strategy for England sets out how we are, among other things, supporting local councils. Progress reports are available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/litter-strategy-for-england-progress-reports. Our new Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan sets out how we are going further by supporting councils to take tougher action against those who litter. This includes significantly raising the upper limit on fixed penalty notices from £150 to £500, and introducing measures to help councils and others carry out more enforcement activity.

Grouse Moors

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a comparative assessment of the potential benefits of grouse moor management on the (a) abundance and (b) breeding success of (i) grouse and (ii) hen harriers.

Trudy Harrison: Shooting sports bring a range of conservation and economic benefits to rural communities and we therefore continue to support shooting as a legitimate activity, which provides jobs and investment in some of our most remote areas. There is evidence that sustainable control of predators on shooting estates can play a role in the recovery of rare or declining species, particularly ground nesting birds, such as lapwing and curlew. We take the decline in the hen harrier population in England seriously and we are committed to securing the future of this bird. That is why we took the lead on the Hen Harrier Action Plan. The plan sets out what will be done to increase hen harrier numbers in England and aims to restore hen harrier populations alongside the continuation of driven grouse shooting. The 2022 breeding season was the first time in over 100 years that more than 100 hen harrier chicks successfully fledged in England, showing real progress in efforts to protect and restore their numbers. We recognise that it is vital that wildlife and habitats are respected and protected, and we will continue to work to ensure a sustainable, mutually beneficial relationship between shooting and conservation.

Horticulture: Peat

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the ban on the use of peat and peat-containing products in the horticultural sector on carbon emissions.

Trudy Harrison: An impact assessment was included in our consultation on the sale of peat and peat-containing products issued on 18 December 2021 and updated on 14 February 2022. This states that our policy saves an estimated 0.455 MtCO2e. The Impact Assessment will be further updated prior to introduction of legislation to Parliament. A link to the Impact Assessment can be found here.

Forests and Wildlife: Crime

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has taken recent steps to implement the recommendations of the report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime entitled Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit Report: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 6 August 2021.

Trudy Harrison: We welcomed the UN Office of Drugs and Crime report (published by Defra on 17 December 2021) and that it recognised the UK's global leadership in fighting wildlife and forestry crime. We invited the UN to undertake this analysis and we are proud to be the first G7 country to request this assessment. We have carefully considered all the recommendations of the report and they are informing our work to help us build on the positive progress we have already made in tackling wildlife crime. This will include strategic engagement with our partners that have responsibilities where individual recommendations are concerned such as the devolved administrations, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). Progress has already been made in response to the report. For example, in 2022 Defra more than doubled its funding of the NWCU from a total of £495,000 over the three previous years to £1.2 million for the three year period of 2022-25. Additionally, Border Force has increased numbers in their team specialising in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Defra is not under any obligation to formally respond to the UNODC's assessment and has no plans to do so, but we will identify where we can act, including with stakeholders, to strengthen the UK's approach to tackling wildlife and forestry crime.

Supermarkets: Food

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an estimate of the quantity of food rejected each month by supermarkets on cosmetic grounds; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact such policies have on farmers and food producers.

Mark Spencer: The Government is committed to preventing and dealing with food waste in the most environmentally beneficial manner according to the Food Surplus Food and Waste Hierarchy. A holistic programme of action is in place across businesses and households from farm to fork to make this happen.Quality specifications are one of the drivers of food waste in the supply chain and on farm, but there are many other drivers too, e.g. weather, pest and disease, crop management, supply and demand factors. There is no reliable data quantifying the amount of waste driven by any one cause.

Electronic Cigarettes: Waste Disposal

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of disposable vapes on wildlife.

Rebecca Pow: We are aware that the use of disposable vaping products has increased substantially in recent years and are considering the implications of this trend on the environment. The Government launched a call for evidence on youth vaping and the environmental impact of disposable vapes on 11 April. This will help us to build our evidence base and consider what future policy interventions might help to mitigate these impacts.

Dogs: Imports

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to reduce the importation of dogs with cropped ears.

Rebecca Pow: The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill includes powers to introduce restrictions on pet travel and on the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation. In August 2021, the Government launched a consultation on how these powers should be used, including proposals to ban the import of dogs with cropped ears and docked tails. We are currently analysing the replies to this consultation and will publish our response in due course.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in the Welsh Government on differences between compensation payments in England and Wales for farmers whose cattle have been culled as a result of tuberculosis; and whether she plans to take steps with her counterpart to align compensation payment levels.

Mark Spencer: Bovine TB is the most significant animal health problem facing cattle keepers in England and Wales and so my Department works closely with Welsh Government to support the development of more effective disease eradication policies. However, responsibility for animal health matters, including approaches to compensation, is fully devolved.

Foxes: Animal Welfare

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of legislation to (a) prohibit the trapping and hunting of live foxes and (b) prevent all forms of cruelty to foxes.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) help tackle illegal fox hunting and (b) prevent all forms of cruelty to foxes.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the illegal trapping and hunting of live foxes.

Trudy Harrison: The Hunting Act 2004 makes it an offence to hunt a wild mammal with dogs except where it is carried out in accordance with the exemptions in the Act. Those found guilty under the Act are subject to the full force of the law. Foxes are not protected for conservation purposes in England. Cage traps and snares can lawfully be used to trap foxes. Anyone using cage traps or snares has a responsibility under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to act within the law to ensure their activities do not cause any unnecessary suffering. For instance, snares and cage traps must be checked at least once a day to prevent a captured fox (or non-target species) suffering. This government takes wildlife crime seriously and there are strong penalties in place for offences committed against wildlife. An industry-owned code of practice for the use of snares to control foxes in England sets out clear principles for the legal use of snares, using evidence from snare-use research to improve snare deployment and design.

Water Supply: Billing

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of households in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London that have fallen into arrears with their water bill payments in the last (a) six and (b) 12 months.

Rebecca Pow: We do not track households that have fallen into arrears with their water bill payments; this would be undertaken by water companies. However, I am very mindful that consumers are concerned about their bills. All water companies offer WaterSure and social tariffs to help reduce bills for households who struggle to pay their bills in full. Water companies also offer a range of financial support measures to assist households to better manage their budgets and provide flexible payments including payment holidays, bill matching, benefit entitlement checks and money/debt advice referral arrangements. The Government expects water companies to continue to actively engage with households and inform them of support measures they offer. I encourage customers to access the Consumer Council for Water’s Advice Hub, which has information and useful tools to help customers reduce their bills or access financial support. To support people with the cost of living, the Government has put in place a substantial package of support. Further information can be found here: Cost of living support - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Horticulture

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Government Food Strategy policy paper, published on 13 June 2022 and the Answer of 30 January 2023 to Question HL3858 on Horticulture, when the decision was taken not to develop a Horticulture Strategy; for what reasons the Department is not developing a strategy; and who was consulted on that decision.

Mark Spencer: Government is committed to an increasingly prosperous horticulture sector and as referenced in the answer to Question HL 3858 published on 30 January, we will not be developing a published strategy for the horticulture sector as originally envisaged in the Government Food Strategy. The sector operates in a complex, ever-evolving commercial and political landscape as such we are prioritising policy work that maximises impact through multiple avenues, this includes establishing the seasonal worker visa route, the labour review, automation, the Farming Innovation Programme and the Farming Investment Fund and working across Government on energy support and planning.

Horticulture

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has appointed an industry expert on Controlled Environment Horticulture as announced on 11 October 2022.

Mark Spencer: The decision to appoint an industry expert on Controlled Environment Horticulture was made by former Secretary of State, the Rt Hon Member for North East Hampshire (Ranil Jayawardena). After further consideration following a change in government it was decided to adopt a different approach and not continue with the appointment.

Bread: Prices

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of (a) the reasons for which bread prices have risen in the UK and (b) the implications for the (i) security and (ii) sustainability of supply chains of those rises in bread prices.

Mark Spencer: Food price inflation is being driven by a combination of factors including increased global commodity prices and farm input costs. For food manufacturers production costs have also increased reflecting a tight labour market, increasing wages, energy price increases, fuel and packaging materials costs. Regarding bread prices, the largest upward effect in the annual CPIH rate for food and non-alcoholic beverages in the year to March 2023 (19.2%) came from the bread and cereals class increasing by 19.4% in a year, although the more recent drivers have been from increases in the price of biscuits and cakes within that class. To ensure a consistent supply of food, the UK relies both on its own production and on imports. Sourcing food and its ingredients from domestic and global markets contributes to food resilience. Diverse supply chains and global trade in agri-food commodities increases availability and consumer choice.

Bakery Products: Supply Chains

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to review the supply chain of the (a) bread and (b) other baked products sector.

Mark Spencer: Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to the food supply chain including with bread and baked products. The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. Recognising the importance of food security, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was published in December 2021.

Bread: Prices

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with trade unions on (a) the reasons for which bread prices have risen in the UK and (b) the security of supply chains in that sector.

Mark Spencer: Food price inflation is being driven by a combination of factors including increased global commodity prices and farm input costs. For food manufacturers production costs have also increased reflecting a tight labour market, increasing wages, energy price increases, fuel and packaging materials costs. Regarding bread prices, the largest upward effect in the annual CPIH rate for food and non-alcoholic beverages in the year to March 2023 (19.2%) came from the bread and cereals class increasing by 19.4% in a year, although the more recent drivers have been from increases in the price of biscuits and cakes within that class. To ensure a consistent supply of food, the UK relies both on its own production and on imports. Sourcing food and its ingredients from domestic and global markets contributes to food resilience. Diverse supply chains and global trade in agri-food commodities increases availability and consumer choice Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.

Flood Control: East Yorkshire

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what additional steps her Department plans to take to reduce the risk of flooding in East Yorkshire.

Rebecca Pow: In March 2020, the Government announced a record £5.2 billion investment over six years in flood and coastal erosion schemes to better protect communities across England. An additional funding of £200 million over six years will help over 25 local areas to take forward wider innovative actions that improve their resilience to flooding and coastal erosion. £8 million of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme has been allocated to the four adaptive pathways support work in the Thames and Humber estuaries, the Severn Valley, and Yorkshire to trial and develop ways of planning ahead and making wise investment choices for the decades to come in face of the long-term uncertainties brought by climate change. The Environment Agency is progressing a wide range of studies, in partnership with other flood risk management authorities and stakeholders, to identify options to further reduce flood risk in the East Yorkshire area, both now and into the future. The outputs will afford a better understanding of the needs, risks and opportunities and shape flood risk management in East Yorkshire and the wider area for decades. These include the Humber 2100+ study, which is developing an integrated approach to flood risk across the Humber Estuary. Large parts of East Yorkshire, particularly along the north bank of the Humber Estuary, are at risk of tidal flooding – a risk which will only increase with climate change. The Environment Agency and 11 local authorities (including East Riding of Yorkshire Council) are working together and with others to develop the long-term strategic approach for managing tidal flood risk, so safeguarding the future of the Humber area in the face of sea level rise and climate change. Other studies include strategic reviews of flood risk in the upper and middle catchments of the river Hull and in the middle catchment of the river Humber. The Environment Agency is also reviewing its flood models for the River Hull. Specific to the East Yorkshire parliamentary constituency, much of the land here is predominantly low-lying farmland, drained over hundreds of years and heavily reliant on embankments, land drainage and pumping to manage flood risk. The Environment Agency is working closely with the Rt Hon Member, the Rt Hon Member for Beverley and Holderness, Internal Drainage Boards, landowners and farmers to shape our approach to reducing flood risk.

Cabinet Office

UK Trade with EU: Costs

Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the expected cost to businesses in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland of requirements for (i) Export Health Certificates for EU imports into Great Britain, (ii) Phytosanitary Certificates and physical checks on most remaining SPS goods at Border Control Posts and (iii) Safety and Security declaration requirements on EU imports into Great Britain.

Alex Burghart: In April the Government published a draft version of the Border Target Operating Model, in collaboration with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, that will introduce a new world-class border system from October 2023. It will implement vital border controls that will protect the UK from security and biosecurity threats, while preventing delays at the border through a reduction in the need for physical checks and by ensuring that checks take place away from ports where this is needed to allow traffic to flow freely. To limit the burden on businesses, our new proposed risk-based global model will use data and technology to simplify and streamline import trade processes. Many low-risk animals and plant products will not require any certificates or physical checks, which will make them significantly easier to import than under the previously proposed model or the EU model. By minimising costs and preventing delays at the border, we estimate it could save UK importers around £400m each year compared to the previously proposed model as stated in the Borders Target Operating Model. Through the Single Trade Window, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and other businesses will only need to submit their data once and in one place - simplifying their experience when interacting with the Government and significantly reducing the administrative burden. We are now in a period of engagement with businesses across the UK so we can hear their views on our draft proposals and work with them to explore the costs of implementing the new model. We do not have detailed data on the location of businesses which import SPS products, but expect that the costs of both the SPS and S&S regulatory requirements will be proportional to the distribution of imports across the countries of Great Britain.

Refugees: Afghanistan

John Healey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2023 to Question 180997 on Refugees: Afghanistan, how many meetings the Minister for Veterans Affairs has held with relevant Ministers responsible for Afghan schemes since 2 February 2023.

Johnny Mercer: The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs has held various meetings with ministers, advisors and officials regarding Afghan resettlement since February 2023, and continues to engage with colleagues across government as we intensify our support to Afghans who have been resettled in the UK to access independent accommodation.

Cabinet Office: Training

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on staff training related to diversity and inclusion in 2022.

Jeremy Quin: The Cabinet Office do not hold a central departmental record of all training and associated spend, including that relating to diversity and inclusion (D&I) training in 2022. In January 2020, following an internal review that showed unconscious bias training does not achieve its intended aims, it has been phased out in the Civil Service. We encourage other public sector employers to do likewise.

Emergencies: Mobile Phones

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which companies were contracted and sub-contracted to deliver the Emergency Alert System; and how much each of those companies were paid for their services relating to that purpose.

Jeremy Quin: The Emergency Alerts contract was awarded to Fujitsu in line with procurement regulations and transparency guidelines through Crown Commercial Services. The contract was let on 10th October 2022 and runs until 9th October 2025. The estimated contract value for Year 1 is £1,013,200, with a contingency to increase the value up to £1,600,000 (excluding VAT). Subject to further approval, the total contract value may be uplifted to £5,000,000.00 (excluding VAT) for years 2 and 3 of the contract, if the provider meets the performance objectives specified. The Cabinet Office operates a triple gateway process of approvals to ensure compliance and transparency in procurements. All contracts are reviewed and approved by delegated Cabinet Office Commercial Heads and then published. All procurements over £10,000 are subject to Commercial approvals. All contracts are then managed by accredited Contract Managers in accordance with Cabinet Office Commercial guidance. Contract agreements are published within 30 days in accordance with our obligations. The Government’s number one job is to keep people safe. Emergency Alerts are a critical new tool in the Government’s toolkit for warning and informing people where their lives are at risk, such as flooding and extreme weather.

British Nationals Abroad

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on how many UK citizens under the age of 50 have emigrated to (a) Australia, (b) New Zealand, (c) USA and (d) Canada since 2015.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many retired people from (a) Canada, (b) New Zealand and (c) Australia live in the UK.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman Parliamentary Questions of 14th April are attached. UK Statistics Authority Response (pdf, 121.7KB)

Cabinet Office: Diaries

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish his ministerial diary for the period between January and March 2023.

Jeremy Quin: Ministers regularly meet with departmental officials and external stakeholders. As is precedent, details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Alcoholism: North West

Conor McGinn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people died from alcoholism in (a) St Helens and (b) the North West in each year since 2018.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentlemen Parliamentary Question of 25th April is attached.  UK Statistics Authority  (pdf, 157.3KB)

Department of Health and Social Care

General Practitioners: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS GPs there were in Stockport constituency in each year since 2010.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April to Question 181288 on Members: Correspondence, for what reasons his Department has not responded to that correspondence.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Breast Cancer: Health Services

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce shortages in the NHS breast cancer workforce and (b) increase the capacity of breast cancer services.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Breast Cancer: Health Services

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of breast clinical and medical oncologists to meet patient demand.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Hospital Beds

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average bed occupancy was for the Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: Hospital Beds

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average bed occupancy was for the St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dentistry: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2023 to Question 175704 on Dentistry: Stockport, for what reasons his Department does not centrally hold data on the number of dentists.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Breast Cancer

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to include (a) what measurable steps his Department will take and (b) what funding will be needed to maintain the breast oncology workforce in the NHS workforce plan.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional funding for research into treatments for myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Out-patients: Telemedicine

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many virtual outpatient appointments have been held in each of the past 12 months.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospital Beds

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many beds, including those at home or in the community, were open to the NHS in (a) September and (b) December 2022.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Disclosure of Information

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to publish data and performance indicators on general practice appointments.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Telephone Services

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many additional phone lines have been made available to GP practices since September 2022.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: Waiting Lists

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients on an NHS waiting list have been waiting more than 18 months for treatment.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Protective Clothing

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is the (a) number and (b) value of contracts for personal protective equipment for which his Department (i) has brought and (ii) plans to bring legal action against the supplier due to quality issues; and how many of those suppliers have been excluded from taking part in public procurement.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Healthy Start Scheme

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to meet its target of increasing the take-up of the Healthy Start Scheme to 75 per cent by the end of March 2023.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Healthy Start Scheme: Food Poverty

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide additional funding to the Healthy Start scheme to help tackle food poverty.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Bowel Cancer: Screening

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has taken recent steps to implement the recommendation of the UK National Screening Committee to provide faecal-immunochemical test screening for bowel cancer every two years for people aged between 50 and 74.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Sentencing: Sexual Offences

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the report of the independent inquiry into the issues raised by the David Fuller case.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Agency Nurses: Expenditure

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much was spent by NHS trusts in England on off-framework agencies in financial year (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Jason Offshore Equipment Company: Contracts

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the contract with procurement reference CF-0036000D0O000000rwimUAA, awarded 6 June 2020 to Jason Offshore Equipment, whether all of the products purchased were of usable quality.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Jason Offshore Equipment Company: Contracts

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the contract with procurement reference CF-0036000D0O000000rwimUAA, awarded 6 June 2020 to Jason Offshore Equipment, by what date the products purchased were delivered.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Jason Offshore Equipment Company: Contracts

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the contract with procurement reference CF-0036000D0O000000rwimUAA, awarded 6 June 2020 to Jason Offshore Equipment, what the reason is for the time taken to publish the contract and justification.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Epidermolysis Bullosa: Drugs

Gareth Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet with representatives of the charity DEBRA UK to discuss its campaign for £10 million of NHS funding for drug repurposing trials to find treatments to alleviate the severe pain caused by the skin condition epidermolysis bullosa.

Helen Whately: We encourage DEBRA to propose candidate medicines for consideration for support from the Medicines Repurposing Programme. The programme provides a tailored package of support to priority repurposed medicines, potentially including support for research, licensing, and implementation. The programme is keen to work in partnership with external organisations including research charities and patient organisations. The eligibility criteria and proposal form are available on request from england.repurposing@nhs.net.

Social Services: Research

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his  Department has taken to ensure effective (a) research, (b) data gathering and (c) quality assurance in the social care sector.

Helen Whately: Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department funds high quality, timely research that benefits the National Health Service, public health and social care. Supporting social care research is a priority for the NIHR, which welcomes research applications on social care topics.We are committed to transforming how social care data is collected, shared and used. ‘Care data matters’ published in February 2023, sets out our roadmap for achieving this. As part of this, we are streamlining and improving existing data collections and establishing data collections to bridge data gaps. This includes better linking health and care data through a new person-level data collection Client Level Data, which became mandatory for all local authorities on 1 April 2023, and improving access to social care data nationally.The Health and Care Act 2022 includes provisions for the Care Quality Commission to assess the performance of local authorities’ delivery of their adult social care duties, as set out under part one of the Care Act 2014.

Community Diagnostic Centres: Heart Diseases

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November to Question 67152 on Heart Diseases: Diagnosis, what proportion of additional diagnostic tests delivered by Community Diagnostic Centres have been echocardiograms.

Helen Whately: As of 2 April 2023, Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) have delivered 95,840 additional echocardiograms, which is 2.6% of the total number of the 3.6 million additional checks, tests and scans delivered by CDCs up to that date.

Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia: Health Services

Dame Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Alzheimer’s Research UK and the Royal College of Psychiatrists report entitled Are we ready to deliver disease modifying treatments?, published on 26 May 2021, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of that report's findings that 36 per cent of psychiatrists think their services could adapt to deliver a new treatment within a year; and what steps his Department is taking to prepare the NHS for future dementia treatments following the approval of lecanemab in the US.

Helen Whately: NHS England has a proactive national dementia programme in place and is monitoring international trial data with great interest, including studies looking into new ways of more easily diagnosing dementia at an earlier stage.Any decision on the potential scale of testing infrastructure and workforce to support the administration of new treatments will take account of numerous factors. These include the quality of trial evidence to emerge that supports a future licence in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, and whether it is subsequently determined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to be a clinically and cost-effective National Health Service treatment option.

Medical Equipment: Energy

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact on the health of people who use medical equipment which impacts their energy usage of advice being given by their energy suppliers to limit the use of that equipment to save energy.

Helen Whately: The Department has not conducted an assessment of the potential health impact of energy saving advice given by energy suppliers to users of energy-dependent MedTech.

Home Care Services: Minimum Wage

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2023 to Question 181658 on Home Care Services: Pay, whether his Department plans to introduce an action plan on enforcement of the National Minimum Wage for the home care workforce.

Helen Whately: HM Revenue and Customs enforces the National Minimum and Living Wage (NMW) in line with the law and policy set out by the Department for Business and Trade. All businesses, irrespective of their size or business sector, are responsible for paying the correct National Living Wage (NLW) and NMW to their staff.

Parkinson's Disease: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to support the mental health of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s in Stockport constituency.

Helen Whately: The National Health Service recognises that two-thirds of people with a common mental health problem also have a long term physical health problem, and that integrating talking and psychological therapy services with physical health services can provide better support and achieve better outcomes. All local commissioners are expected to commission NHS talking therapies integrated into physical healthcare pathways.Stockport NHS Foundation Trust has a dedicated Parkinson's disease Nurse Specialist working as part of its Community Neurological Rehabilitation Team. They provide continuous care for people with Parkinson's disease and support with issues such as their mental health. The nurse can support people with mental health concerns via liaison or referral to specialist services, including general practitioners, the Neuropsychiatry Team at Salford Royal, clinical psychologists, neurologists, and the Mental Health Team at Pennine Care and Healthy Minds Stockport.

Care Homes: Finance

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has any further plans to make support available for care home providers with the rising cost of living.

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how care home providers in Bradford West constituency the Government is supporting with the rising cost of living.

Helen Whately: We are making available up to £7.5 billion of additional funding over two years to support adult social care and discharge, with up to £2.8 billion available in 2023/24 and up to £4.7 billion in 2024/25. We expect councils to use the additional £2.8 billion funding available for social care, a more than real terms increase in funding dedicated for social care, to go beyond meeting inflationary pressures, including those experienced in 2022/23.Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to shape their local markets. Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the care needs of their populations, and to develop and build local market capacity.

Prostate Cancer: Health Services

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the quality of care for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Helen Whately: The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership commissions, develops and manages the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme, on behalf of NHS England, Wales and other devolved administrations.This includes five national clinical audits focused on priority cancers, including one looking at prostate cancer. These audits have been introduced to reduce variation in treatment by demonstrating where care is being provided in line with standards and where a service is doing well or could be improved.

Members: Correspondence

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the correspondence sent by email from the hon. Member for Sefton Central of 14 March 2023 on St Joseph's Hospice in Thornton.

Helen Whately: We replied to the hon. Member on 27 April 2023.

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: Cancer

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2023 to Question 179994 on Cancer: Halton, how many and what proportion of cancer patients of St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust who received an urgent referral received their first treatment within 62 days of that referral in February 2023.

Helen Whately: In February 2023 74 cancer patients of St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust received their first treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral. This represents 77.8% of patients whose general practitioner made an urgent referral.

Brain: Tumours

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps with NHS England to revise the list of non-specific symptoms (NSS) that warrant referral to the NSS pathway to include more symptoms which may indicate a brain tumour.

Helen Whately: Non-Specific Symptom (NSS) pathways are intended to cover the cohort of patients who do not fit clearly into a single ‘urgent cancer’ referral pathway, but who are nonetheless at risk of cancer. If a patient has specific alarm symptoms warranting referral onto a single site-specific pathway then these patients are better suited for a tumour-specific urgent suspected cancer pathway. In November 2022, NHS England launched the first phase of general practitioner (GP) direct access guidance to expand the availability of specific tests to GPs for people with concerning symptoms that do not meet the threshold for an urgent suspected cancer referral. Direct access diagnostics, NSS pathways and existing site-specific routes sit alongside and complement each other to ensure GPs are able to act swiftly to investigate the wide range of symptoms which can indicate cancer.

Strokes: Health Services

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to help ensure that stroke survivors receive the recommended 3 hours of rehabilitation per day as set out by the National Clinical Guideline for Stroke.

Helen Whately: NHS England have invested in the Stroke Quality Improvement in Rehabilitation (Squire) programme. Regional Squire managers in collaboration with Integrated Stroke Delivery Networks and newly formed integrated care boards are working to ensure that stroke survivors receive the recommended three hours of rehabilitation per day as set out by the National Clinical Guideline for Stroke.

Kidney Diseases: North West

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in (a) Ellesmere Port and (b) NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB were (i) assessed as being at high risk of kidney disease through the NHS Health Check and (ii) diagnosed with kidney disease following referral from the NHS Health Check, in each year since 2019.

Helen Whately: The information requested is not held centrally.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Health Services

Tom Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the document entitled An improvement framework to reduce community musculoskeletal waits while delivering best outcomes and experience published by NHS England in January 2023, what plans his Department has to implement that framework to reduce community musculoskeletal waiting times.

Helen Whately: Integrated care systems are responsible for commissioning musculoskeletal services for their local populations.

Sodium Valproate: Disability

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for the Patient Safety Commissioner for Valproate producing the lifetime costings of caring for a disabled child affected by sodium valproate.

Maria Caulfield: Our sympathies remain with all those affected by the side effects of sodium valproate. The Department has asked the Patient Safety Commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes, to undertake work on redress for people harmed by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. The work is intended to focus on the views of those affected, improving the understanding of how many people have been affected and how, the case for redress and what form it could take. The work is expected to take around four months and the Patient Safety Commissioner will publish a report setting out the findings from this work. Once finalised, Ministers will consider the report’s findings before deciding how to proceed on this matter.

Social Services: Birmingham Erdington

Mrs Paulette Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department are taking to help (a) specialist disability providers and (b) other social care services in Birmingham Erdington constituency (i) recruit and (ii) retain care workers.

Helen Whately: The Adult Social Care Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund is providing £562 million over this financial year, of which £13.1 million is going to the City of Birmingham. Local authorities can choose to use their allocation to address local workforce capacity pressures in adult social care through retention activity.On 4 April 2023, we published our plans for investing £250 million on workforce reforms to improve career progression and access to learning and development opportunities to help reduce turnover. We will continue to engage with care commissioners and employers to consider how best to support workforce retention and recruitment.

Members: Correspondence

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 24 February 2023 from the hon. Member for Tooting on restraint in mental health settings.

Maria Caulfield: We have received the hon. Member’s correspondence on 24 February and we will respond shortly.

Parkinson's Disease: Health Services

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of waiting times for NHS Parkinson's care in England on people who provide unpaid care to their partners who have Parkinson's.

Helen Whately: Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to undertake a carer’s assessment for any unpaid carer who appears to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer. We have not made any assessment of the potential impact of waiting times for National Health Service Parkinson's disease care in England on people who provide unpaid care to their partners who have Parkinson's.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Students

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that university students receive timely (a) referrals for assessment for and (b) diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Maria Caulfield: We recognise the importance of timely assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including for university students, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. The NICE guideline ‘Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management’ does not recommend a maximum waiting time standard from referral for an assessment of ADHD, however an assessment should be made as soon as possible.In a recent Westminster Hall debate, 1 February 2023, I committed to look at how we can improve data on ADHD assessment waiting times, to help improve access to ADHD assessments in a timely way and in line with the NICE guideline. We are supporting ICBs to expand mental health services through the NHS Long Term Plan, which commits to increasing investment into mental health services by at least £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 so that an additional two million people can get the support they need.

Nurses: Strikes

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on which dates he met the Royal College of Nursing to discuss strike action since his appointment.

Will Quince: Since his appointment on 25 October 2022, my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, met the Royal College of Nursing to discuss strike action on the following dates: 10 and 15 November 2022, 12 December 2022, 9 and 12 January 2023, 22, 23, 24, 27 and 28 February 2023 and 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 and 16 March 2023.

Disability: Debt Collection

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 181090 on Disability: Debt Collection, for what reason his Department has not made an assessment of the mental health impact of using bailiffs to recover arrears of non-residential charges from people with disabilities.

Maria Caulfield: Each local authority is responsible for managing its own debt recovery processes under the Care Act 2014 and, as such, no national level assessment has been made. All debt recovery systems should be designed with a full understanding of the needs and capacities of the local population, including how different approaches may impact a person’s wellbeing. Local authorities also have a general duty to promote a person’s wellbeing and, as such, must consider whether debt has accrued due to factors outside of a person’s control.

HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group will meet next.

Neil O'Brien: The Implementation Steering Group supports and drives forward the implementation of the HIV Action Plan and meets regularly to ensure progress in line with the plan’s ambitions and objectives. The next meeting of the group will be the sixth meeting and is scheduled to take place on 17 July 2023.

HIV Infection: Screening

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on extending opt-out HIV testing in areas of high HIV prevalence outside of London.

Neil O'Brien: We are considering all the evidence from the first year of opt-out human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and blood borne testing in emergency departments, alongside the data on progress towards our ambitions to end new HIV transmissions and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and HIV related deaths within England by 2030, to examine the feasibility of further expanding this programme. We will be sharing evidence as it emerges to support other areas of the country to make the case for implementing the same approach locally.

Prescriptions: Older People

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to respond to its consultation on Aligning the upper age for NHS prescription charge exemptions with the State Pension age consultation, which closed in September 2021.

Neil O'Brien: The Government will respond to its consultation on aligning the upper age for National Health Service prescription charge exemptions with the state pension age in due course.

Care Homes: Inspections

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many inspections the Care Quality Commission has carried out in each year since 2010.

Maria Caulfield: The following table shows Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) inspection activity since 2010. The CQC has deployed several different inspection methodologies across different time periods. For example, CQC were given the power to rate in 2013 and undertook a comprehensive ratings baseline programme over a period of two years. More recently, in line with CQC’s strategy, published in May 2021, CQC adopted a risk-based approach, targeting its resources where these are needed most and where there is evidence of risk to patient safety. YearCQC Inspections2010785201113,509201229,174201343,940201423,760201515,846201622,968201718,505201816,201201917,67120207,70920219,584202211,703

Coeliac Disease: Prescriptions

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has taken recent steps to encourage doctors to prescribe gluten-free (a) foodstuffs and (b) other products for people diagnosed with coeliac disease.

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Integrated Care Boards support prescriptions for gluten-free (a) foods and (b) other products for people diagnosed with coeliac disease in their area prescribing policies.

Neil O'Brien: Decisions about prescribing rest with the general practitioner or other prescriber who has clinical responsibility for a patient’s care, taking into account relevant clinical guidance. It is not appropriate for Ministers to influence individual prescribing decisions.The information on how many integrated care boards support prescriptions for gluten free and other products for people diagnosed with coeliac disease is not held centrally.

Chronic Illnesses: Prescriptions

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2023 to Question 180335, if he will make an assessment of the impact of the increased prescription charge from 1 April 2023 on people with (a) cystic fibrosis and (b) other long-term conditions.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of prescription charges on people with Parkinson's in (a) the Humber and North Yorkshire area and (b) England.

Neil O'Brien: There are no current plans to make an assessment and no specific assessment has been made on the impact of prescription charges. Approximately 89% of prescription items are currently dispensed free of charge and there are a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with long term conditions may meet the eligibility criteria and be in receipt of free prescriptions.In addition, those on a low income can apply for additional support through the NHS Low Income Scheme. This provides both full and partial help with a range of health costs, not just prescription charges. Those who do not qualify for low-income help may benefit from the purchase of a prescription pre-payment certificate. This caps the cost of prescriptions at £111.60 per year, helping people to get all the medicines they need for just over £2 a week.

Older People: Advocacy

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing.

Neil O'Brien: We have no current plans to make a specific assessment.

Home Office

Passports: Industrial Disputes

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April to Question 176580 on Passports: Industrial Action, what estimate she made of the cost to the public purse of the contingency arrangements put in place for the continued operation of passport services during industrial action by members of the PCS trade union in 2023.

Robert Jenrick: We are disappointed with the union’s decision to strike. We are working to manage the impact of strike action, whilst ensuring we can continue to deliver vital services to the public, with comprehensive contingency plans in place.The impacts of the industrial action by the PCS union within HM Passport office have been largely mitigated through internal redeployment and re-prioritisation. The direct financial costs to the public purse from this action are minimal and are offset against unpaid wages to striking PCS members.HM Passport Office is well-positioned to manage the current period of industrial action, and there are no plans to change the guidance which states that it takes up to ten weeks to get a passport.

Housing: Asylum

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to The Houses in Multiple Occupation (Asylum-Seeker Accommodation) (England) Regulations 2023, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of those regulations on the well-being of asylum seekers.

Robert Jenrick: We continue to work closely with providers to ensure that asylum seekers’ wellbeing needs are met. Asylum accommodation contracts contain rigorous requirements on property standards, including fixtures and safety fittings that providers must deliver, and reasonable adjustments for disabilities and mental health requirements.

Asylum: Applications

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the speed of processing asylum claims.

Robert Jenrick: To speed up the asylum process for legacy claims, those made before 28 June 2022, around 12,000 asylum seekers from high-grant nationalities within the legacy WIP are being asked to provide information in a new Home Office questionnaire to help determine their case.The intention of these questionnaires is to enable claimants to provide any further information about their claims after their initial screening interview upon arrival.All asylum claimants are subject to mandatory security checks to confirm their identity and to link it to their biometric details for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks. These checks are critical to the delivery of a safe and secure immigration system.We are driving further productivity improvements by simplifying and modernising our system. This includes: shorter, more focused interviews, making guidance simpler and more accessible; dealing with cases more swiftly where they can be certified as clearly unfounded; and recruiting extra decision makers.We have already doubled our decision makers over the last 2 years, and we are continuing to recruit more. This will take our expected number of decision makers to 1,800 by summer and 2,500 by September 2023.

Housing: Asylum

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department,  with reference to The Houses in Multiple Occupation (Asylum-Seeker Accommodation) (England) Regulations 2023, whether her Department plans to introduce safeguards to mitigate against asylum seeker accommodation becoming potentially (a) overcrowded, (b) unsafe or (c) uninhabitable.

Robert Jenrick: We remain committed to providing accommodation that is safe and meets housing standards set out in the Housing Act 1985. Asylum accommodation contracts contain rigorous requirements on property standards, including fixtures and safety features that providers must deliver.

Asylum: Sudan

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is providing support to Sudanese citizens who are (a) visitors, (b) students and (c) other people with limited leave to enter or remain in the UK.

Robert Jenrick: Since 2015, we have offered a safe and legal route to the UK to almost half a million people seeking safety, as well as family members of refugees. The safe and legal entry routes are country-specific and global:Resettlement, including UNHCR schemes (UK Resettlement scheme, mandate scheme, and community sponsorship), as well as the Afghan Resettlement ProgrammeFamily reunion visasBN(O) Hong Kong visasUkraine Family, Sponsorship and Extension Scheme visas  However, preventing a humanitarian emergency must remain as our focus right now. We continue to work alongside our international partners to maintain the ceasefire and bring an end to fighting.

Housing: Asylum

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Houses in Multiple Occupation (Asylum-Seeker Accommodation) (England) Regulations 2023, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of those regulations on (a) potential savings for Government contractors and (b) costs incurred by local authorities.

Robert Jenrick: We recognise that Local Authorities incur costs by providing services and wraparound support to asylum seekers. That is why we introduced grant funding to Local Authorities last year, to recognise their financial contribution. This amounted to £3,500 per new dispersed bedspace delivered, and we are trialling an increase in funding of up to £6,500 per new bedspace this year.We assess that this change will deliver significant savings for the taxpayer as it will support Government contractors to provide alternative accommodation to hotels.

Earthquakes: Turkey

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made additional resources available for processing visa applications impacted by the earthquakes in Turkey.

Robert Jenrick: By working with TLS, the commercial partner, we are continuing to provide access to Visa Application Centres (VAC) throughout Turkey. Adana VAC increased its opening days from 3 to 5 days a week to meet demand closest to the earthquake area. There are also VACs in Ankara, Antalya, Bursa, Istanbul, and Izmir, many of which continue to provide 5 day a week capacity for those looking to apply for a UK visa under one of our current visit, family, work and study routes and enable those who have already applied to submit their biometrics.UKVI will aim to process any compassionate cases as quickly as possible in line with current guidance.Should individual circumstances require a quicker decision, applicants should raise this with visa application centre staff when submitting their biometrics and UKVI will consider this as part of their wider application.If applicants have an existing visa application and have been impacted by the earthquake, then they should please contact the UKVI Contact Centre, details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-outside-uk.

British National (Overseas): Visas

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to allow people on British National (Overseas) visas to work as professional sportspersons.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office currently has no plans to remove the restriction on work as a professional sportsperson from the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route.

Asylum: Drugs

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has undertaken any investigations into instances of drug dealing within asylum dispersal accommodation.

Robert Jenrick: Our accommodation providers work closely with the Police and other statutory partners. Any matters relating to suspected criminal activity in asylum dispersal accommodation are reported to the Police.

Home Office: Freedom of Information

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Immigration of 20 February 2023, Official Report, column 33, on what basis her Department determined that the freedom of information request on (a) the number of legal practitioners her Department is monitoring, (b) the nature of that monitoring, (c) when that monitoring began and (d) whether (i) her Department or (ii) a private firm was carrying out that monitoring was not in the public interest.

Robert Jenrick: The consideration made was set out in the response to those Freedom of Information requests.

British National (Overseas): Hong Kong

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether BNO passport holders can apply for their British born children to have a temporary travel document from her Department for the purposes of travelling to Hong Kong.

Robert Jenrick: The eligibility criteria for obtaining a Home Office travel document is set out on the relevant Gov.uk pages: Apply for a Home Office travel document: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Whether the child would be entitled to obtain a document would depend on their individual circumstances in line with the eligibility criteria. Consideration would be given as to whether they were able to obtain a British National (Overseas) passport or similar by virtue of their parent’s status, taking into account the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986.If they do qualify and can obtain a BNO passport status, then it is unlikely that they would be eligible for a Home Office Travel Document.They can apply for a document to travel outside the UK, including Hong Kong if:they are not Britishthey are unable to obtain a passport because their national authorities do not have an Embassy/Facilities to issue passports in the UKtheir country’s national authorities have unreasonably refused to issue them a passportthey are stateless

Unexplained Wealth Orders

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions unexplained wealth orders have been used since the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 received royal assent.

Tom Tugendhat: UWOs have been applied for in 2 investigations since the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act received Royal Assent.

Sleeping Rough: Arrests

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies of reports that 1,173 people have been arrested in England and Wales since 2021 under the Vagrancy Act 1824.

Chris Philp: The Home Office does not collect data on the number of people arrested under the Vagrancy Act.The Government is fully committed to repealing and replacing the antiquated Vagrancy Act which makes begging and some forms of rough sleeping a criminal offence.

Sleeping Rough

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential implications of his Department's Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, published on 27 March 2023, on police treatment of rough sleepers.

Chris Philp: The Government has been clear that it does not want to criminalise rough sleeping and is working with across Departments to repeal and replace the Vagrancy Act 1824 as outlined within the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan. The implications of the replacement Vagrancy Act measures are being taken into account through consideration of the responses to the public consultation run by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities last year, and our wider stakeholder engagement.Monitoring and evaluation of the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan will be important in understanding whether we are delivering the action plan effectively and that it is achieving the intended outcomes and impacts in tackling ASB across a range of funded measures.

Police

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many mental health incidents were attended by police officers in each year since 2010.

Chris Philp: The Home Office does not hold the information requested.Information on the police use of section 135 and section 136 powers under the Mental Health Act (1983) is collected and published as part of the Home Office’s ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Other PACE powers’ annual statistical bulletin.These data cover the use of powers to remove people from a public or private space to a place of safety if a person appears to be suffering from a mental disorder and needs immediate care or control. However, the use of these powers does not cover all mental health incidents.

Police: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the average police response time in (a) Stockport constituency and (b) each ward in Stockport constituency.

Chris Philp: The Home Office does not hold the information requested centrally.Chief Constables are responsible for determining the allocation of resources for operational policing and managing their response times, in line with the priorities set out by their Police and Crime Commissioner.As the locally elected representative for policing, Police and Crime Commissioners are responsible for holding their Chief to account for their performance.

Body Searches: Children

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2023 to Question 175703 on Body Searches: Children, for what reasons the collection of data on the stop and search of children was voluntary.

Chris Philp: The data collection of children searched under stop and search powers is mandatory and is published as part of the ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Stop and search and arrests’ statistical bulletin.Additionally, for the first time in the year ending March 2022, the Home Office collected and published data on strip searches that occurred in police custody, available here: Police powers and procedures: Other PACE powers, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).As is usual practice for new data collections added to the Annual Data Requirement (ADR), the data was collected on a voluntary basis in 2021/22 to allow forces time to embed recording processes and make changes to their systems as required. As such, not all forces provided data or provided partial data.It is mandatory for police forces to provide this data for the year ending March 2023.

Nitrous Oxide: Misuse

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2023 to Question 176520 on Nitrous Oxide: Misuse, with reference to the Working Protocol between the Home Secretary and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, published 15 November 2011, for what reasons the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs was not advised in writing of the Government’s reasons for rejecting the Council’s recommendations on nitrous oxide in advance of any public comment.

Chris Philp: On 27 March we published the Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) Action Plan announcing our intention to control nitrous oxide as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs were notified in writing of our intention not to accept recommendation 1 of their updated harms assessment in advance of the publication of the ASB Action Plan. In line with the Working Protocol, the letter set out the reasons behind our decision to reject their recommendation.

Fire and Rescue Services: Merseyside

Mick Whitley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times fire cover has been removed from Merseyside by the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority due to staffing shortfalls since 1 December 2022.

Chris Philp: The department does not hold this information.

Sleeping Rough

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with refence to her Department's Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, published on 27 March 2023, whether the Government plans to issue guidance to police forces on the treatment of rough sleepers.

Chris Philp: The Government is committed to ending rough sleeping, and published their cross Government strategy, Ending Rough Sleeping for good, on 3 September 2022 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ending-rough-sleeping-for-good .This strategy sets out the work that is underway, including the joint commitment of both the Home Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to ensure “everyone experiencing rough sleeping to have an appropriate and timely offer of support, tailored to their needs and the services they are eligible for, and that all agencies have the tools they need to unlock this support.”The Strategy is backed by vital funding of £2 billion over three years.Police officers can reference the ASB toolkit, with specific pages on Rough Sleeping which is produced by the National Police Chiefs Council. The Government are considering what further guidance is required alongside work on the repeal and replacement of the Vagrancy Act.

Motor Vehicles: Noise

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many road users have been (a) stopped and (b) investigated for (i) breaking the legal noise limits and (ii) using illegal modified exhausts in the last five years.

Chris Philp: The Home Office does not hold all the information requested.The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices issued and other outcomes for motoring offences, including noise offences.These data are available as part of the ‘Police Powers and Procedures: Other Pace’ bulletin.This information can be found in table FPN_03 of the motoring offences data tables.

Sleeping Rough: Arrests

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to police forces in England on the use of the Vagrancy Act 1824 to arrest rough sleepers.

Chris Philp: The Government is committed to ending rough sleeping, and published their cross Government strategy, Ending Rough Sleeping for good, on 3 September 2022 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ending-rough-sleeping-for-good .This strategy sets out the work that is underway, including the joint commitment of both the Home Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to ensure “everyone experiencing rough sleeping to have an appropriate and timely offer of support, tailored to their needs and the services they are eligible for, and that all agencies have the tools they need to unlock this support.”The Strategy is backed by vital funding of £2 billion over three years.Police officers can reference the ASB toolkit, with specific pages on Rough Sleeping which is produced by the National Police Chiefs Council. The Government are considering what further guidance is required alongside work on the repeal and replacement of the Vagrancy Act.

Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made with the investigation of the Abdulrahimzai case; and when she plans to publish the report.

Chris Philp: The Home Office is conducting an internal investigation to examine the circumstances surrounding this case. We do not routinely publish internal reports and there are no plans to do so here.All asylum claimants are subject to mandatory security checks against their claimed identity including criminality checks on UK databases and we are working to strengthen ties with international partners to make vital intelligence sharing more seamless. Individuals attempting to dupe the system using multiple names and ages will face decisive action.

Asylum: Accommodation Centres

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has undertaken recent consultations with local communities near to the (a) Wethersfield (b) Scampton and (c) Bexhill asylum accommodation sites.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office are engaged with a number of local authorities on sourcing appropriate accommodation for asylum seekers including those announced on 29th March 2023. We are committed to engaging with local authorities and local partners to ensure these sites are delivered successfully.

Asylum: Accommodation Centres

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has plans to use accommodation sites at (a) Scampton (b) Wethersfield and (c) Bexhill as immigration detention facilities.

Robert Jenrick: We do not routinely comment on individual sites or proposals that may or may not be used for asylum accommodation.

Passports: Children

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time for an application for a child's first passport to be processed is; and if she has made an assessment of the potential impact of industrial action on that waiting time.

Robert Jenrick: HM Passport Office is well-positioned to manage the current period of industrial action, and there are no plans to change the guidance which states that it takes up to ten weeks to get a passport. In March 2023, the median processing time* for applications using the standard UK service for a child’s first passport was ten days. *The processing time starts from the date that supporting documents are received and allocated to the application, to the date that the passport is printed plus a further two days for courier delivery.

Asylum

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of her amendments to the Illegal Migration Bill on the number of last-minute claims by people seeking to stay in the UK illegally.

Robert Jenrick: One of the core aims of the Bill is to prevent late and repeated legal challenges to removal. The Bill does this by providing for two kinds of suspensive claims which are factual suspensive claims and serious harm suspensive claims, in addition to making it clear that all other legal challenges to removal, including by way of judicial review, need not suspend removal. Given this approach, courts would be unable to grant interim relief temporarily blocking removal pending a judgment on the substantive judicial review. New clause 22 will make this clear on the face of the Bill.

Skilled Workers: Visas

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of (a) the average length of time for a Skilled Worker visa application from outside the UK to be approved and (b) the number of applications for a Skilled Worker visa that have been delayed because a certificate of sponsorship from the applicant's employer has expired.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office does not routinely publish data on the average time to process visa applications or on application processing delays caused by expired certificates of sponsorship (COS). Provided the application was submitted before the expiry of the certificate of sponsorship (COS), this should not cause any delay.

Housing: Asylum

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to The Houses in Multiple Occupation (Asylum-Seeker Accommodation) (England) Regulations 2023, what assessment she has made of the suitability of deregulating housing provisions for properties that accommodate asylum seekers; and for what reason this measure applies only to asylum seeker accommodation.

Robert Jenrick: This is a temporary exemption to support our delivery of new accommodation places for asylum seekers, while we make productivity improvements that will reduce the number of individuals who are supported.We are not deregulating housing provisions for asylum seekers, and we continue to work closely with providers to ensure we meet standards set in the Housing Act 1985 and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Refugees: Families

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on concluding the application process for a family reunion visa with reference GWF062464506.

Robert Jenrick: This visa application is currently under consideration.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Myanmar: Sanctions

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of sanctions imposed in response to the situation in Myanmar.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK has led international efforts to put pressure on the military regime and reduce its access to revenue, arms and equipment through targeted sanctions, without harming the wider population. We continue to work closely with our partners in the US, Canada and the EU to ensure a strong, coordinated and targeted response to the military regime's actions. On 27 March the UK announced its fifteenth round of sanctions, designating those who profit from the supply of aviation fuel and restricted goods and technology to the Myanmar Armed Forces.

Development Aid

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement of 30 March 2023 entitled FCDO Programme Allocations, HCWS705, whether each programme reviewed during the revision process was subject to an equalities impact assessment.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Officials across the FCDO's global network accounted for equality issues in their programme allocation proposals for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24. These analyses were aggregated into an overall Equality Impact Assessment that FCDO Ministers used in their revision, adjustment, and finalisation of FCDO programme allocations.The Minister for Development will provide this Equality Impact Assessment to the International Development Committee in July, when FCDO publishes its country allocations in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2022 to 2023.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department was informed of the decision by the Home Office in 2021 to remove from the UK Nepalese and Indian citizens following their evacuation to the UK from Afghanistan.

Leo Docherty: During Op Pitting, the FCDO assisted the evacuation from Afghanistan of some third country nationals, including individuals who worked directly for the British Embassy in Kabul, and individuals who were employed by private companies to provide security in Kabul. Those individuals who worked directly for the British Embassy in Kabul were supported to return to their country of permanent residence. Those who were employed by Gardaworld, to provide security to the British Embassy in Kabul, were assisted by Gardaworld to return to their countries of permanent residence.

Elizabeth Tang

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the arrest of the former chairperson of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions in March 2023.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We have been clear that the deliberate targeting of pro-democracy and civil society figures under the National Security Law is unacceptable. The freedom to join and form trade unions is explicitly guaranteed under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which China willingly entered into. However, NGOs, trade unions and human rights organisations not supportive of the Chinese and Hong Kong governments' agenda have been forced to disband or leave. We will call out China's actions, when it breaks its international obligations, and continue to raise areas of disagreement with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities. The Foreign Secretary last did so with former Foreign Minister Wang Yi and at the UN Human Rights Council in February.

Gibraltar: EU Grants and Loans

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to provide compensation to Gibraltar for the loss of EU structural funding.

Leo Docherty: In March 2021, the UK Government allocated £500,000 to Gibraltar under the UK Community Renewal Fund to support Gibraltar's transition away from EU Structural Funds. The UK Government and Government of Gibraltar continue to work side-by-side to conclude a UK-EU treaty which can secure the future prosperity of Gibraltar and the region.

Question

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support African leaders in responding to the conflict in Sudan.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are pursuing all diplomatic avenues to bring about a cessation of violence and pave the way for meaningful talks.The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, senior officials and myself have engaged frequently with counterparts in the region with partners such as Kenya, Djibouti and Egypt.

Question

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support African leaders in responding to the conflict in Sudan.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are pursuing all diplomatic avenues to bring about a cessation of violence and pave the way for meaningful talks.The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, senior officials and myself have engaged frequently with counterparts in the region with partners such as Kenya, Djibouti and Egypt.

Question

Simon Baynes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Windsor Framework on peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland.

Leo Docherty: The Windsor Framework sets out the way forward for a peaceful and prosperous Northern Ireland by restoring the balance of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. It does so by restoring the smooth flow of trade within the UK internal market, safeguarding Northern Ireland’s place in the Union and addressing the democratic deficit that was otherwise at the heart of the old Protocol.

Question

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps he has taken to help strengthen NATO unity.

Leo Docherty: The Foreign Secretary regularly engages with NATO Allies, including most recently at the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on 3-4 April, where Finland acceded to NATO and Allies demonstrated our continued solidarity with Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary and I [Minister Docherty] will continue engaging extensively with Turkey, Hungary and Allies to ensure swift ratification of Sweden so we can meet at the Vilnius Summit at 32.

Question

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for UK pensioners in Commonwealth countries.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: FCDO provides support to British pensioners in Commonwealth countries on the same basis as we do for any British national overseas. All questions about British pensions should be directed to DWP.

Question

Andrew Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs,what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to counter Chinese hostile state activity in the UK.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: As laid out by the Foreign Secretary on 25 April in his Mansion House Speech, we will always put our national security first and are committed to strengthening national security protections wherever Beijing’s actions pose a threat to our people or our prosperity. And to protect the UK from hostile state activity from any country, we are introducing the National Security Bill.

Question

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the political and human rights situation in Hong Kong.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The imposition of National Security Law and actions by the authorities in Hong Kong have eroded the civil and political rights promised to Hong Kongers under the Sino-British Joint Declaration.We are clear that China remains in an ongoing state of non-compliance with the Declaration. As the Foreign Secretary has said, we will act when China breaks its obligations, as we did in giving nearly 3 million Hong Kongers a path to British citizenship.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Training

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department spent on staff training related to diversity and inclusion in 2022.

David Rutley: The FCDO has a Staff Networks Partnership Agreement to ensure our policies and operations are informed by employee insights including equality, diversity and inclusion, alongside quantitative and qualitative HR data managed by HR Directorate. UK Directorates, Overseas Posts and Staff Networks are responsible for organising training programmes according to evidenced training needs, which must be in line with the Civil Service guidance and value. In 2022 the FCDO spent £25,412.96 on centrally organised staff training related to diversity and inclusion.

East Africa: Droughts

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will take steps to host a donor conference to help tackle drought in East Africa.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are working with several international and UN partners to organise a humanitarian pledging conference for the Horn of Africa. The event is scheduled to take place in New York on 24 May. It will help us to mobilise urgent funding for immediate humanitarian needs and to identify long-term solutions to the region's recurrent crises including drought.The UK is a leading humanitarian donor to the region with more than £1 billion provided in relief aid since 2019. UK funded activities are saving lives and making a difference.

Uganda: LGBT+ People

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the impact of the funding for the  Inter-Religious Council of Uganda through the Uganda Open Society programme on the (a) rights and (b) safety of LGBT+ people in Uganda.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government has long been at the forefront of protecting LGBT+ rights internationally and is concerned by the increasing criminalisation of LGBT+ persons in Uganda which threatens minority rights and risks persecution. All UK Aid partners are put through rigorous due diligence assessments before receiving any funding. The UK does not currently provide funding to the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda.

Somaliland: Human Rights and Violence

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Somaliland; and what humanitarian support his Department has provided to support people affected by violence in Somaliland.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Since 2022, the human rights situation in Somaliland has deteriorated, in particular the curtailing of media freedoms and the use of disproportionate force in response to protests. We see the promotion of respect for human rights across Somalia, including Somaliland, as essential to peace and stability. We regularly engage with the Somaliland authorities to urge them to uphold their human rights commitments. The UK has been pressing for an urgent end to the fighting in Las Anod. We are providing a range of humanitarian support to those affected by violence, including the UK-supported Start Fund delivering through Oxfam to support households displaced from Las Anod.

Sudan: Diplomatic Service

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many requests for consular support his Department has received from British nationals in Sudan since 15 April 2023.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the proportion of British nationals it will be possible to evacuate from Sudan before the ceasefire in that country ends.

Leo Docherty: The safety of all British nationals in Sudan continues to be our priority. The Consular Contact Centre has received 4,121 calls (as of 18:00 26 April) since Friday 15 April, although some of these will represent multiple calls concerning the same consular case.So far around 3,400 British nationals have registered their presence with the Foreign Office Crisis Hub. [correct as of 00:00 28 April]. We do not collect data on where nationals come from within the UK.Since 25 April we have assisted the departure of 895 (as of 05:00 28 April) British nationals through flights to Cyprus. We will continue to evacuate British nationals from Sudan as the situation allows.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he had with his international counterparts on securing the ceasefire in Sudan announced on 25 April 2023.

Leo Docherty: We are pursuing all diplomatic avenues to end the violence and de-escalate tensions. The Foreign Secretary and Minister Mitchell are in regular touch working with international partners to engage all parties in Sudan. We have led calls with the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, regional groupings and the UN Security Council to discuss the situation and coordinate a response.In a public statement by the Quad (KSA, UK,US, UAE) and the Trilateral Mechanism (AU, UN and Governmental Authority on Development) we have publicly welcomed the extension of the ceasefire by 72 hours. This initial stage of diplomacy, establishing a process to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities, will help ensure unimpeded humanitarian access.

Sudan: Diplomatic Service

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many officials from his Department are located in Sudan.

Leo Docherty: We have temporarily closed the British Embassy Khartoum. We have established a temporary presence through small teams of staff deployed in Sudan supporting the evacuation operation. We are severely restricted in our ability to provide in-person or in-country consular support.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Written Questions

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the total cost to the public purse was of answering written parliamentary questions submitted to his Department in 2022.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the average cost of answering a written parliamentary question submitted to his Department was in 2022.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the average cost to his Department has been of answering written Parliamentary questions in the 2022-23 Parliamentary session.

David Rutley: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not hold this level of detail on resources used to answer Written Parliamentary Questions in its central records. There is, however, a Disproportionate Cost Threshold which is set at £850. This is set out in the Guide to Parliamentary Work (2022) published on 14 November 2022.

Department for Transport

Electric Vehicles: Bridges and Parking

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the adequacy of the strength of (a) multi-story carparks and (b) bridges at safely bearing the additional weight of electric vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The adequacy of the strength of multi-storey carparks and other off-street parking is the responsibility of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities. Local highway authorities are responsible for maintenance and management of their respective local highway networks, including any bridges that they own. It is for local authorities to decide what weight limits, if any, should be applied to any of their bridges because of the type or structural condition of the bridge or its inability to support heavy vehicles.

Motorways: Safety Measures

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of (a) all-lane running and (b) dynamic hard shoulder smart motorways have an emergency refuge area at least every (i) three-quarters of and (ii) one mile.

Mr Richard Holden: Currently just over a third of ALR smart motorways in operation have places of relative safety (PRS), including Emergency Areas, spaced at an average of less than one mile. The average spacing between PRS on operational ALR schemes is currently approximately 0.97 miles. National Highways does not hold the data available for dynamic hard shoulder (DHS) smart motorways in the format requested. In the Government’s response to the Transport Select Committee in 2022, £390m was committed to constructing an additional 150 Emergency Areas to ALR smart motorways in operation over the duration of the second Road Investment Strategy to reduce the spacing between places to stop in an emergency in line with the new standard.

Driving: Young People

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plan to carry out an equality impact assessment of  proposals by the Support for Victims of Road Crashes Advisory Committee to prevent qualified drivers under the age of 25 from driving with passengers under that age.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department does not have a Support for Victims of Road Crashes Advisory Committee. The Department has a working group: the Road Collision Victims Support Group and no proposals have been generated by this group.

Electric Scooters and Motorcycles: Road Traffic Offences

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on the number and proportion of traffic accidents involving (a) mopeds and (b) scooters; and whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing stronger penalties for people who do not obey road safety rules.

Mr Richard Holden: The number and proportion of reported personal injury road traffic collisions involving mopeds and scooters in Great Britain between 2011 and 2021 (the latest year for which figures are available) can be found in the table below.  Reported road collisions and proportions and involving mopeds and scooters, Great Britain, 2011 to 2021YearCollisions involving a mopedCollisions involving a scooterProportion of collisions involving a mopedProportion of collisions involving a scooter20111,7012,6721.11.820121,5302,5991.11.820131,3282,3141.01.720141,3702,4560.91.720151,1101,8910.81.420161,0821,9730.81.420179101,9970.71.520186851,8260.61.520195661,6090.51.420204901,7030.51.920214772,1160.52.1 The Department keeps the law under review and listens to the concerns of those affected by tragic cases of death or serious injury. We have already increased the disqualification period for those who cause death by driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Traffic Lights

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a smart traffic light system trialled in Spain and France in which traffic lights turn green for drivers approaching at the correct limit and remain red for drivers over the limit.

Mr Richard Holden: The department often examines a range of technical approaches but has no specific plans in this respect at present.

High Speed 2 Line: Cost Benefit Analysis

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has conducted a benefit-cost ratio analysis of the remodelling of HS2.

Huw Merriman: We will continue to publish benefit-cost ratios at key decision points for the different phases of the scheme, which will account for any changes in benefits and costs stemming from the rephasing of parts of the programme.

Railway Stations: Visual Impairment

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made in installing tactile paving on all station platforms by 2025.

Huw Merriman: Approximately 60 per cent of British mainline station platforms currently have tactile paving installed. Network Rail has been funded by Government to install tactile paving at all remaining British mainline stations that are otherwise not due to receive tactile paving as part of other planned works. Network Rail has delivery plans in place and contractors engaged and the majority of the work should be completed by April 2024, with the remaining sites completed by 2025 where this best aligns with other planned work.

Mersey Gateway Bridge: Tolls

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will end the toll on the Mersey Gateway Bridge.

Mr Richard Holden: The charges on the Mersey Gateway and Silver Jubilee bridges are ensuring that their users make a fair contribution towards the cost of delivering the significant improvements in connectivity enabled by these crossings.

Department for Transport: Training

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department spent on staff training related to diversity and inclusion in 2022.

Jesse Norman: Nothing.

Cycling: Infrastructure

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to invest in cycling infrastructure in the next five years.

Jesse Norman: The Government is investing more than £3 billion into active travel up to 2025. This includes existing funding for active travel schemes delivered through funding streams such as the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) and National Highways to level up access to active travel across the country. The Department will invest at least £100 million of dedicated capital funding across the remainder of the Spending Review period up to 2024/25. Funding for 2025/26 onwards is subject to the next Spending Review.

Roads: Enfield

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to provide support to Enfield Council to increase road safety in Enfield in the next (a) six and (b) 12 months.

Mr Richard Holden: Roads in Enfield are primarily the responsibility of Enfield Borough Council, plus Transport for London (TfL) for the red routes. Any concerns about their safety should be raised with them in the first instance. Since the onset of the pandemic, Government has provided TfL with over £6billion of emergency funding support.

Railways: Concessions

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a rail travelcard for NHS workers; and whether he has had recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on this issue.

Huw Merriman: We recognise the challenges that all passengers are facing with the cost of living. This is why we have delivered the biggest Government intervention on rail fares since privatisation by capping fares at 5.9 per cent, 6.4pps below July 2022 RPI. There are currently no plans to introduce an NHS railcard. Any new concessionary products such as extending free or discounted travel to NHS workers, must be balanced against the financial impact on other fare payers and the public purse.

Railways: North Wales

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of Northern Powerhouse Rail on (a) North Wales and (b) Anglesey.

Huw Merriman: The Government published the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) for the North and Midlands in November 2021 of which Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) forms one component. As NPR is a programme designed to improve connectivity in the North of England, specific impacts on North Wales and Anglesey from the scheme have not been assessed.The IRP will improve onward connectivity to Wales via a new high-speed line from Birmingham to Manchester. Much of North Wales will be brought within two and a quarter hours of London, via interchange with HS2 at Crewe.

A38: Cornwall

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it remains his policy to allocate funding to the A38 Trerulefoot to Carkeel Safety Project in Cornwall.

Mr Richard Holden: The A38 Trerulefoot to Carkeel Safety Package continues to be developed by National Highways as part of the pipeline of projects being considered for future Road Investment Strategy periods.

Active Travel: Finance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Sustrans report on Helping people through the cost of living crisis and growing our economy: The role of walking, wheeling and cycling, published in October 2022, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing the recommendation for a dedicated pavement fund to improve accessibility and quality.

Jesse Norman: The Government is investing more than £5.5 billion between 2020 and 2025 into local highways maintenance; this funding covers all aspects of the highway, including footways. The Government believes local councils are best placed to allocate this money in their areas.

Active Travel: Finance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding has been provided for active travel schemes from (a) City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements, (b) the Levelling Up Fund, (c) the Future High Streets Fund, (d) the Towns Fund and (e) National Highways Designated Funds since the 2021-22 financial year.

Jesse Norman: The second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS2) estimates that over £3 billion of investment will be invested in active travel between 2021/22 to 2024/5. This includes estimates for City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) (£700m), Levelling Up Fund (£576m), Future High Streets Fund (£289m), Towns Fund (£293m) and National Highways Designated Funds (£90m). An update on estimates across all funds included within CWIS2 will be published in the next CWIS Report to Parliament.

Transport: Disability

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons Nottingham's Mobility Centre was not allocated funding to roll out a Hubs Mobility Service as announced on 29 March 2022; and if his Department will provide additional funding to Nottingham's Mobility Centre.

Mr Richard Holden: The Government provides annual grant funding worth a total of approximately £7m to twelve Mobility Centres in England. The Mobility Centres of England promote equality of opportunity for disabled and older people by finding solutions to enable more people to keep driving or retain mobility. Mobility Centres funded by the Department for Transport must be fully accredited by the umbrella charity Driving Mobility to receive funding. Nottingham’s Mobility Centre is not funded by the Government because it is not accredited by Driving Mobility, and therefore is not eligible for additional funding. Less than 20 miles away from Nottingham, Derby DrivAbility is accredited by Driving Mobility and receives grant funding from the Department for Transport, including an additional allocation of funding for the Hubs Mobility Service.

Ministry of Defence

Military Bases: Energy

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2023 to Question 176546 on Military Bases: Solar Power, when he commissioned the development of the Defence Estate Energy Strategy.

James Cartlidge: The Strategy for Defence Infrastructure (SDI), published in January 2022, set out our ambition to ensure the resilience of energy supply across Defence establishments. Work on an estate energy strategy is ongoing, which is the next step in ensuring we deliver the objectives contained within the SDI.

Russia: Arms Trade

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2022 to Question 105236 on Russia: Defence Equipment, how many potential breaches of UK export controls related to Russian sanctions his Department referred to enforcement powers in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Defence has not referred any potential breaches of strategic export controls related to Russian sanctions to HMRC in 2022 and to date in 2023.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department provided for the operation of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme in each year since 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Although an estimate is made at the beginning of each year of the likely expenditure on Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Payments, there is no annual cap or allocation of funding. The table below shows the total Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Expenditure by financial year 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2023. Year2019-202020-212021-222022-23 note 1Total Compensation Payable (£'000,000)9084.3104127.9Lump Sum Payments38.73038.649.3Guaranteed Income Payments41.244.655.267.2Survivors' Guaranteed Income Payments10.19.610.211.4 Note:2022-23 accounts pending audit and may change in the future.

USS Evans

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing support to Halton Veterans Legion for a veterans reunion to mark the sinking of USS Evans.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence recognises the tragic events surrounding the sinking of the USS FRANK E. EVANS that led to the loss of 74 lives. While the Ministry of Defence goes to great lengths to commemorate the actions of Service personnel, it cannot provide support in all cases. There are no plans to provide support in this instance.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Pay

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will hold discussions with Cabinet Office colleagues on the impact of inflation on the earnings of civilian seafarer (a) Ratings and (b) Officers employed by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Employees of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, as civilians, fall under the remit of the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance for the purposes of determining pay awards. The Ministry of Defence must abide by the Remit Guidance set by the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. The Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance for the 2023-24 financial year has been set and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pay-remit-guidance-2023-to-2024/civil-service-pay-remit-guidance-2023-to-2024#:~:text=The%20deadline%20to%20submit%20a,of%20State%20has%20approved%20them

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Staff

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the (a) National Strategy for Maritime Security and (b) Integrated Review Refresh 2023 on the staffing levels of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Personnel Forecasts for the next 10 years are fully compliant with the demands of the National Strategy for Maritime Security and the Integrated Review Refresh. The required growth in personnel numbers to crew future platforms is endorsed and funded.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what processing targets his Department has for completing (a) injury and illness claims, (b) survivor claims and (c) reconsiderations under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

Dr Andrew Murrison: For claims under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) target is 90 working days Average Clearance Time (ACT) for all claim types including Reviews. There are not individual KPI targets for different claim types because of their wide range and differing levels of complexity. At the end of March 2023 the ACT was 99 working days. It should be noted that Official Statistics excludes applications for Reviews of existing awards (for example a request for Review following a deterioration in the condition) and therefore the KPI figures used for monthly performance monitoring may not be directly comparable with the annual official statistic. The KPI target for Reconsiderations is 123 working days ACT. At the end of March 2023 the ACT was 127 working days.

Ministry of Defence: Data Protection

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 181353 on Ministry of Defence: Data Protection, what the nature was of each of the 142 personal data incidents in 2023; and how many people were affected by each incident.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The following numbers and types of personal data incidents have been reported in 2023 in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as at 31 March: CategoryNature of Personal Data IncidentNumber of IncidentsILoss of inadequately protected electronic equipment, devices or paper documents from secured Government premises.4IILoss of inadequately protected electronic equipment, devices or paper documents from outside secured Government premises.5IIIInsecure disposal of inadequately protected paper documents.1IVUnauthorised disclosure.122V 10Total 142 The number of people affected by the disclosures cannot be provided at this time, as the vast majority of incidents are still under investigation and so it cannot be confirmed yet whether a compromise has actually occurred in all of the 142 cases that have been reported so far in 2023. The category entitled ‘Unauthorised Disclosure’ includes incidents such as emails being sent to the wrong recipient, or failure to use the bcc function thereby exposing email addresses. The vast majority of these unauthorised disclosures were internal to MOD and involved data that was not above the OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE classification.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on appeals relating to the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme in each year since 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The value of expenditure arising from any additional or increased awards following Reconsiderations and Appeals is not individually captured and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on reconsiderations relating to the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme in each year since 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The value of expenditure arising from any additional or increased awards following Reconsiderations and Appeals is not individually captured and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on Armed Forces Compensation Scheme reconsiderations in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021 and (d) 2022.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The value of expenditure arising from any additional or increased awards following Reconsiderations and Appeals is not individually captured and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence: Data Protection

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 181353 on Ministry of Defence: Data Protection, how many of the personal data incidents occurred within his Department in 2022 have been referred to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 181353 on Ministry of Defence: Data Protection, how many people were affected by each of the personal data incidents that occurred within his Department in 2022; and what was the nature of each of these incidents.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) notified the Information Commissioner’s Office of seven data protection incidents in 2022. IncidentData Subjects affectedDate reported to the ICOA non-MODnet network was infected with malware.26307/01/2022Sharing of e-mail contact details through a distribution list of individuals seeking ARAP support.1008/02/2022An individual shared the content of a service complaint they had raised.2201/03/2022Details of Army recruitment candidates were leaked to the dark web by Twitter activists.12422/03/2022A laptop, notebook, and electronic storage device were stolen.1018/03/2022Due to incorrect redaction technique being used by a member of staff in breach of MOD policy, an individual's name was disclosed in a Freedom of Information request.106/07/2022As part of recovery action on a system following a system outage, 9 files attached to medical notes relating to service personnel were found to be unrecoverable.905/10/2022 This information is also published in the MOD Annual Reports and Accounts by Financial Year – please see 20220714_MOD-ARA_2021-22_PRINT.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk) (pages 67-69) for the most recent iteration.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Pay

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the impact of pay progression of civilian seafarer (a) Ratings and (b) Officers employed by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary since 2010-11 on (i) recruitment, (ii) retention and (iii) morale.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Defence uses the bi-annual Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Continuous Attitude Survey to provide insight into the day-to-day experiences of RFA personnel. The results from the survey are used to inform current and future RFA policy and decision making.

Gibraltar: Defence Equipment

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what equipment his Department has (a) permanently, and (b) temporarily stationed in (i) the Navy base, (ii) the RAF base and (iii) elsewhere in Gibraltar.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) location and (b) function is of sites (i) owned and (ii) operated by his Department in Gibraltar.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence does not routinely comment on the equipment or capabilities held in any specific location. However, I can confirm the following which is otherwise available in open source.The Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron consists of two Royal Navy Patrol Launches permanently based at His Majesty’s Naval Base Gibraltar. They are supported by a range of Royal Navy rigid inflatable boats, Gibraltar Defence Police launches and rigid inflatable boats, diving platforms and harbour work boats.The Naval Base routinely hosts other RN or allied warships and auxiliary vessels for operational visits and maintenance periods. HMS TRENT is forward deployed to Gibraltar to support operations in the Mediterranean and Western Africa.There are no aircraft either permanently based or temporarily stationed at RAF Gibraltar.

Defence: Seas and Oceans and Wind Power

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure that the UK’s wind farms and undersea cables are defended against sabotage.

James Heappey: The Government takes the security and resilience of undersea cables and pipelines very seriously. The Royal Navy deters state aggression by, for example, monitoring vessels that enter the UK Marine Area and where necessary shadowing vessels as they transit through our territorial waters. Defence has invested in a Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance programme to allow us to maintain maritime situational awareness and improve our ability to detect threats.

Gibraltar: Armed Forces

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2023 to Question 180013 on Gibraltar: Armed Forces, what the nationalities are of the international military personnel deployed in Gibraltar.

James Heappey: Allies and partners visit Gibraltar as required; we do not provide specific detail on the countries from which these personnel originate.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when round 2 of funding for the International Fund for Ukraine open; and how long will the bidding process for what fund will be open.

James Heappey: Urgent Bidding Round 2 for the International Fund for Ukraine was launched on 11 April 2023. Requirements are being released in phases, the first two of which are for air defence (closing on 26 April 2023) and long-range strike (closing on 4 May 2023). Further requirements under Urgent Bidding Round 2 will be raised via the Defence Sourcing Portal, in a phased approach, over the coming weeks.

Hercules Aircraft

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many C-130 Hercules aircraft were involved in the operation to evacuate British military, diplomatic and civilian people from Sudan.

James Heappey: Of the two aircraft involved in the initial evacuation of diplomats and dependants, one was a C130 Hercules. The aircraft have continued to be used during the further operation to evacuate British nationals.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2023 to Question 158788 on Ukraine: Military Aid, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that there are no delays in notifying successful bidders for the second round of funding for the International Fund for Ukraine.

James Heappey: Building on lessons learned from Urgent Bidding Round 1, the Ministry of Defence (MOD), on behalf of Executive Panel countries, has adopted a more targeted, streamlined and digitised approach to Urgent Bidding Round 2. This includes using the Defence Sourcing Portal, the MOD's strategic platform for advertising new opportunities and conducting procurement, to manage the communication process with suppliers.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much each country has contributed to the International Fund for Ukraine.

James Heappey: To date over £520 million has been pledged to the International Fund for Ukraine. These contributions are set out in the following table: CountryContribution in £ millionDenmark44Iceland3Lithuania2Netherlands88Norway119Sweden16UK250

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there will be a third round of bids for the International Fund for Ukraine.

James Heappey: The IFU was established to use funding from international partners to procure priority military assistance for Ukraine at pace through 2023 and beyond. Timelines for Urgent Bidding Round 3 will be agreed by the Executive Panel in due course.

Ferries: Scotland

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has received an official request for military aid to the civil authorities for Scottish ferry routes; and what (a) assets and (b) capabilities the armed forces have to provide such support.

James Heappey: In response to a request from the Scotland Office, Defence has deployed a Military Assessment Team to Scotland to investigate the feasibility of military assets providing a temporary replacement for the Corran ferry service. A Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) request has not been received.The UK's Armed Forces maintain a range of capabilities with the ability to transport assets across water, including landing craft and landing rafts. These are, however, not directly analogous to civilian ferry craft.

Ferries: Corran

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has (a) received and (b) accepted a Military Aid to Civilian Authorities request from the Scottish Government to explore the feasibility of the Department providing a temporary replacement for the Corran ferry service.

James Heappey: In response to a request from the Scotland Office, Defence has deployed a Military Assessment Team to Scotland to investigate the feasibility of military assets providing a temporary replacement for the Corran ferry service. A Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) request has not been received.

Type 31 Frigates

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact of macroeconomic changes on the Type 31 programme.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Defence has received a formal claim from Babcock relating to the Type 31 contract, which has been rejected in full. While this issue is being dealt with through formal contractual processes, it would be inappropriate to provide any further details due to the commercial sensitivities of the on-going negotiations.The Type 31 programme remains on schedule.

Air Force: Training

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the procurement of services for the Next Generation Operational Training Programme to commence from December 2024.

James Cartlidge: Two significant milestones have recently been achieved within the Next Generation Operational Training portfolio of programmes. First, Programme Gladiator achieved Initial Operating Capability in January 2023. Second, the Strategic Outline Case for Portfolio MUSTANG was approved in March 2023, which will deliver the live elements of training activity conducted within Next Generation Operational Training.

Hercules Aircraft: Decommissioning

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to take steps to dispose of the RAF's C-130 Hercules fleet.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Bournemouth East on 16 March 2023 to question 163730.Hercules Aircraft (docx, 22.3KB)

Type 31 Frigates

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the steel cut for Batch 2 Type 31 frigates is sourced from (a) the UK and (b) overseas.

James Cartlidge: The five Type 31 frigates are being procured in a single batch. Thin plate, which forms approximately 85 per cent (about 15,500 tonnes) of the steel required for the Type 31 ships, is not manufactured in the UK to the required specification. Since changing its steel supplier, the prime contractor, Babcock, has been able to source some UK-produced section and bulb bar steel through its stockists, which represents about four per cent (about 677 tonnes) of the total steel requirement.Steel for our major defence programmes is generally sourced by our prime contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers and is procured in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines. We encourage the sourcing of UK steel wherever it is technically and commercially feasible.

Type 31 Frigates

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has set any contractual requirements on Babcock for blocks and modules for the Type 31 programme to be produced in the UK.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the locations are of the shipyard where each block and module of the Type 31 programme are being produced.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the blocks and modules for the Type 31 programme are being produced in Poland.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the workshare for the Type 31 programme is based (a) in the UK and (b) overseas.

James Cartlidge: There is no formal workshare arrangement in the Type 31 manufacture contract. Babcock has found it expedient to contract three Double Bottom units for Ship 2 to the PGZ shipyard in Gdynia, Poland. The assembly and integration of all the Type 31 ships will take place at Rosyth. It is normal practice to source components of warships from the global supply chain. The contracting of three Double Bottom units to Poland is a matter for Babcock as the Prime Contractor and is recognised by the Ministry of Defence as a means to expedite the Type 31 build schedule and assist the Arrowhead frigate export campaign. This work represents less than 1% of the total value of programme build and is part of Babcock’s aim to maximise the knowledge exchange to benefit both the UK’s Type 31 and Poland’s Miecznik frigate programmes.

HMS Prince of Wales

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of when HMS Prince of Wales will be available to Commander UK Strike Force for operational tasking.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer provided by my right hon. Friend (Baronnes Goldie) to question HL6891 on 3 April 2023 in the House of Lords.HMS Prince of Wales: Repairs and Maintenance (docx, 17.8KB)

Ministry of Defence: Sustainable Development

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many sustainability officers are employed by his Department.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civil servants in his Department work full time on sustainability.

James Cartlidge: The Levelling Up, Union, Climate Change and Sustainability Directorate, established in 2021, is made up of 26 posts with 22 civilian and military posts primarily focused on Climate Change and Sustainability activity. The Directorate provides direction, priorities and targets into Defence planning and gives a transparent and coherent report of Defence progress against the Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach. The majority of Defence organisations, including the three Services, now also have their own 2 star Sustainability Champion and Climate Change and Sustainability teams which vary in size. Their responsibilities are to develop and deliver their organisation's contribution to both the Departmental ambitions and their own organisational priorities.

Merlin Helicopters: Early Warning Systems

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the most recent estimated initial operating capability is for the new Medium Support Helicopter programme.

James Cartlidge: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 27 April 2023 to Question 182236 from the right hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Kevan Jones).Military Aircraft: Helicopters (docx, 17.9KB)

Military Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of potential options for maintaining an air-to-air refuelling capability beyond 2035.

James Cartlidge: As part of the RAF's continuous strategic capability evaluation, and the ten year Equipment Plan processes, we are constantly reviewing Defence's requirements. Defence is considering the future requirements for air-to-air refuelling capability beyond 2035, and decisions will be taken as part of future Integrated Reviews and Equipment Plans.

Defence Equipment & Support: Pay

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2023 to Question 181899 on Defence Equipment and Support: Staff, what the average salary is of a Defence Equipment and Support (a) contractor and (b) permanent staff member.

James Cartlidge: The average annual capitation costs (which includes basic pay, employer's National Insurance, and employer's pension contributions) for permanent members of staff employed by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) were: £54,273 (civilian), £106,890 (military). Salary information for contractors is not held by DE&S as this is a matter for the commercial delivery partners who directly employ the staff in question.

Defence Equipment & Support: Staff

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2023 to Question 181899 on Defence Equipment and Support: Staff, how many contractors were employed at Defence Equipment and Support in each year since 2010.

James Cartlidge: The numbers of contractors engaged per year as Contingent Labour to fill funded posts within Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) on a short-term basis since Financial Year 2010-11, are as follows: Financial YearNumber*2010-114882011-123902012-133302013-146172014-154982015-162922016-173582017-182542018-192112019-206432020-216992021-22657 * This is an average figure over the course of a year. The number of contractors engaged to provide Public Sector Support to supplement DE&S capacity and capability to manage its programme of work and support business improvement and change programmes is not recorded by DE&S.

Turkey: Submarines

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Turkey on submarine production.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Defence has had no recent discussions with Turkey regarding submarine production.

Military Bases

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference paragraph 3.17 of the National Audit Office report publication entitled Optimising the Defence Estate, published 11 June 2022, what number of (a) personnel, (b) civil servants and (c) contractors are working on the Optimising the Defence Estate Portfolio as of 6 April 2023; and if he will publish the job description and number of staff working in each role on that portfolio.

James Cartlidge: The Defence Estate Portfolio employs 114 civil servants (which includes short-term temporary posts) and around 10 contractors working in core delivery posts. The Department does not intend to publish job roles or descriptions.

Military Bases: Energy

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2023 to Question 176546 on Military Bases: Solar Power, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for the Defence Estate Energy Strategy.

James Cartlidge: I have responsibility for the Defence Estate and therefore the Defence Estate Energy Strategy.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Housing: Construction

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Government Planning Inspectorate's decision to approve Homes England's plan to build 260 new homes on Brislington Meadows.

Rachel Maclean: The Planning Inspectorate deals with planning appeals and a variety of other casework in England. This decision was made by the Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State. The reasons for it were set out in the formal appeal decision, published on the Inspectorate's website, and the decision remains final unless successfully challenged in the courts.

Domestic Abuse: Anti-social Behaviour

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, published on 27 March 2023, on the level of (a) noise complaints against and (b) evictions of victims of domestic abuse.

Dehenna Davison: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 175715 on 18 April 2023.

Right to Buy Scheme

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Right to Buy Scheme on the availability of council homes.

Rachel Maclean: The Government remains committed to the Right to Buy, which since 1980 has enabled over two million social housing tenants to become homeowners.

Public Buildings: Asbestos

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department provides advice to local authorities on the use of public buildings known to have asbestos.

Lee Rowley: All public bodies, including local authorities, are responsible for how they manage asbestos in their buildings and are expected to comply with relevant legal requirements.The Health and safety Executive publishes a range of guidance about working with asbestos and how to comply with relevant legislation. This is set out under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 with further guidance available on HSE's website HSE: Asbestos - health and safety in the workplace.

Social Rented Housing: Veterans

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to disapply the local connection tests for veterans seeking social housing who left service over five years ago.

Dehenna Davison: The Government recognises the special position of members of the Armed Forces and their families.We have changed the law so that those serving in the Armed Forces as well as former Service personnel with urgent housing needs are always given 'additional preference' for social housing.Statutory guidance is clear that members of the regular Armed Forces, their bereaved spouses and civil partners, and seriously injured reservists, must not be disqualified for an allocation of social housing because they lack a local connection to an area.The guidance also makes it clear that local authorities are expected to disapply any local connection requirement from divorced or separated spouses or civil partners of Service personnel who are required to move out of accommodation provided by the Ministry of Defence.

Local Government: Pay

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the proposed pay increase for local government workers.

Lee Rowley: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

A34: Oxfordshire

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 181373 on A34: Oxfordshire, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of cancelling the A34 Lodge Hill slip road scheme on levels of housebuilding in Oxfordshire.

Rachel Maclean: Pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 181373 , Oxfordshire County Council are responsible for the scheme as the strategic transport authority.

Renewable Energy: Planning Permission

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has issued guidance to local planning authorities on which policies are relevant for the purposes of sections 1(1)(c) and (5) of the Planning and Energy Act 2008.

Rachel Maclean: Government has published guidance on this as part of the Planning Practice Guidance series.

Housing: Weaver Vale

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, If he will he make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to Homes England to complete building schemes in Weaver Vale constituency, in the context of Lane End Developments Construction Ltd entering administration.

Rachel Maclean: Homes England are currently assessing the impact of Land End Developments Construction Ltd entering administration on schemes in which they were involved.

Private Rented Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2023 to Question 147433 on Private Rented Housing: Evictions, in which month he plans to publish the Renters Reform Bill.

Rachel Maclean: As stated in the answer to Question UIN 147433, we will introduce a Renters Reform Bill as soon as time allows in this Parliament.

Department for Work and Pensions

Housing Benefit: Cost of Living Payments

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason people in receipt of housing benefit only are not eligible for the Cost of Living Payments 2023 to 2024.

Mims Davies: Housing Benefit is not an income replacement benefit; it is intended to cover only housing costs. Those with the lowest incomes may be able to claim a qualifying means-tested benefit alongside Housing Benefit to cover their other living costs, which would make them eligible for a Cost of Living Payment Housing Benefit is administered by Local Authorities, and is sometimes paid directly to a landlord. Payments to those receiving only Housing Benefit could not therefore be delivered in a quick, accurate and straightforward manner. For those who require additional support the Government is providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including Barnett impact, to enable a further extension to the Household Support Fund in England. In England, this will run from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, backed by £842m. Local Authorities use the Fund to help households with the cost of essentials, and they are expected to help households in the most need, particularly those who may not be eligible for the other support the government has recently made available.

Public Lavatories: Men

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to take steps to amend the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 to include a provision on the provision of sanitary bins in male toilets.

Mims Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ180529.

Health and Safety: EU Law

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has sought legal advice on the extent to which the Health and Safety Regulations fall under the scope of the Retained EU Law Bill.

Mims Davies: Following an assessment by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), there are health and safety regulations which fall within scope of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill. HSE has taken all necessary steps to identify relevant legislation and updates have been made available for the Retained EU Law Dashboard on the gov.uk website.

Food Banks

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of his Department's policies on food bank use in the UK.

Mims Davies: Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions does not have any role in their operation. National statistics on food bank use for 2021/22 are available here. We aim to publish statistics for 2022/23 in March 2024. This Government recognises the pressures on the cost of living. Around 19 million families will have seen their benefit payments increase from April 2023, including the State Pension, Pension Credit, disability benefit and Universal Credit. We are also increasing the benefit cap by 10.1% - from £20,000 to £22,020 for families nationally, so that more households will see their payments increase as a result of uprating. This Government is also delivering a £94 billion package over this year and next to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living.

Social Security Benefits: Broadband

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to increase take-up of broadband social tariffs among recipients of income-related benefits.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions has ensured all operational staff in Jobcentres, Universal Credit service centres, Pension Centres, and partnership managers who engage with claimants and stakeholders are able to signpost to the Ofcom webpage which promotes broadband social tariffs. DWP have updated guidance, delivered teach-in’s to Work Coaches and published internal communications highlighting the importance of identifying claimants who are digitally excluded and signposting to the support available, including broadband social tariffs. We have also developed an Application Programme Interface (API) which allows Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to verify for free, with the customers’ permission, if they are in receipt of an eligible benefit for the broadband social tariff.

Housing Benefit: Cost of Living Payments

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) households, (b) people and (c) children living in households in receipt of housing benefit are not eligible for the first of the Cost of Living Payments 2023 to 2024.

Mims Davies: Data for the requested numbers is not currently available. The Department aims to publish a full analysis once all payment information for the first and second Cost of Living payments, during the financial year, is available.

Department for Work and Pensions: Training

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on staff training related to diversity and inclusion in 2022.

Mims Davies: DWP has not purchased any formal D&I learning that isn’t provided by CS learning. Internal products have been developed and are accessible via the departmental intranet but are not mandatory.

State Retirement Pensions: Expenditure

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2022, published on 24 May 2022, and the Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2023, published on 25 April 2023, for what reason the outturn spending of £104.2 billion on State Pension in 2021-22 was lower that the forecast of £104.5 billion.

Laura Trott: The main driver of State Pensions spending in the financial year 2021-22 being slightly lower than was forecast at Autumn Statement 2022 is that the actual number of people receiving State Pension was slightly lower than had been forecast. This change is shown in Table 1C of the Benefit Expenditure and Caseload publication. Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Personal Independence Payment

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average decision wait time was for new Personal Independence Payment applications over the last year; and how many applications were awaiting a decision on 25 April 2023.

Tom Pursglove: The average decision wait times for new Personal Independence Payment (PIP) applications can be found in the latest published release: “Personal Independence Payment statistics to January 2023”. Particularly, table 1A shows PIP average actual clearance times (median number of weeks) for normal rules, new claims in England and Wales. Notes:Clearance time measures do not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant or claims that were disallowed by the DWP prior to referral to the assessment providers (e.g. for failure to meet basic eligibility criteria). The number of PIP applicants awaiting a decision has been interpreted as those who had registered a claim, but which had not been cleared. This includes some who may eventually be disallowed pre-assessment, those awaiting an assessment, and those awaiting a decision following an assessment. On 31 January 2023 this stood at 207,000 claims.  Source: PIP Atomic Data Store (ADS). Notes:Data excludes Scotland, in line with the latest published figures on PIP;Figure is for new claims normal rules only; andFigure is rounded to the nearest 1,000.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Personal Independence Payment tribunal hearings were attended by his Department in each of the last twelve months.

Tom Pursglove: Personal Independence Payment tribunal hearings attended by a Department for Work and Pensions Presenting Officer DateNumber of hearings Jan-22980Feb-221,130Mar-22890Apr-22750May-22810Jun-22700Jul-22760Aug-22830Sep-221,360Oct-221,900Nov-222,000Dec-221,480 Please note: This information is derived from internal administrative data and is not quality assured to Official Statistics standards;This data is unpublished. It should be used with caution, and it may be subject to future revision;We have provided data up to December 2022, in line with published statistics;Appeals data is taken from the DWP computer system’s management information. Therefore, this appeal data may differ from that held by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons, such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics; andFigures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Twenty-Sixth Report of he Committee off Public Accounts of Session 2022-23, The Department for Work and Pensions’ Accounts 2021–22: Fraud and error in the benefits system, HC 44, published on 9 November 2022, what information his Department holds on how much of the £6.5 billion overpayment due to fraud in the benefits system in 2021-22 can be attributed to organised crime.

Tom Pursglove: The department’s view is that serious and organised crime accounts for only a small minority of the total fraud reported for 2021/22, with the vast majority being individual claimants who have misrepresented their own personal circumstances. The department has a strong counter-fraud function, which includes specifically targeting serious and organised crime including cyber-crime, which identifies and stops illegal activity and saves money for the taxpayer. Current estimates are that serious and organised crime accounts for no more than 7% of the £6.5 billion of benefit fraud reported in the 2021/22 statistics, as it is most likely captured in the Abroad and Conditions of Entitlement (Identity) categories of fraud reported there.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department are trained to provide evidence at First-tier Tribunal appeals.

Tom Pursglove: The number of staff trained to provide evidence at first-tier tribunal appeals is 150 full time equivalents (FTE). Please note that the data supplied is from the departmental activity based models. This data is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal departmental use only, and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standards. It should therefore be treated with caution. The departmental activity based staffing models are a snapshot (March 2023) of how many people were identified as undertaking specified activities as assigned by line managers. Child Maintenance Service figures exclude Enforcement Court Presenting Officers.

Children: Maintenance

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) Child Maintenance hearings where his Department was the first respondent were attended by an official from his Department in the latest period for which data is available.

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) Employment and Support Allowance hearings where his Department was the respondent were attended by an official from his Department in the latest period for which data is available.

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) Personal Independence Payment hearings where his Department was the respondent were attended by an official from his Department in the latest period for which data is available.

Tom Pursglove: From January to December 2022, there were 53,010 first-tier tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) Personal Independence Payment appeals. Of these, 13,600 (26%) were attended by a presenting officer. From January to December 2022, there were 4,940 first-tier tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) Employment and Support Allowance appeals. Of these, 1,190 (24%) were attended by a presenting officer. Information available within cost shows that from January to December 2022, HM Courts & Tribunals Service listed 4,840 Child Maintenance Service appeals. Of these 2,130 (44%) were allocated to a presenting officer to attend. Please note: This information is derived from internal administrative data and is not quality assured to Official Statistics standards;This data is unpublished. It should be used with caution, and it may be subject to future revision;We have provided data up to December 2022, in line with published statistics;Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and percentages are rounded to the nearest percent; andAppeals data is taken from the DWP computer system’s management information. Therefore, this appeal data may differ from that held by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons, such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Football: Gambling

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to ban all gambling sponsorships in association football.

Stuart Andrew: On 27 April we published our white paper setting out our conclusions and next steps on gambling advertising and sponsorship, as well as other issues in the broad scope of our Gambling Act Review.The Gambling Commission requires all marketing activities by gambling operators, including sport sponsorships, to be undertaken in a socially responsible fashion. To ensure high standards for gambling sponsorship across the sport sector, the government will continue to support the sector’s efforts to implement standards for social responsibility through a cross-sport Code of Conduct.We also welcome the Premier League’s recent announcement that it will ban gambling sponsors from the front of shirts, bringing sponsorship in line with recent rule changes from the Advertising Standards Authority preventing Premier League players from appearing in gambling adverts.

Civil Society: Finance

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to publish arrangements for disbursing the £100m of funding for third sector organisations announced in the Spring Budget; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Andrew: As announced in the recent Spring Budget, the government will provide over £100 million of support for charities and community organisations in England. This will be targeted towards those organisations most at risk, due to increased demand from vulnerable groups and higher delivery costs, as well as providing investment in energy efficiency.Work is underway to finalise the delivery time frame and eligibility criteria. Further details will be announced as soon as possible - these will be published on gov.uk and a statement made to the House as appropriate.

Youth Services: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to increase funding for (a) youth clubs and (b) other youth services in Stockport (i) constituency and (ii) borough.

Stuart Andrew: The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people.The Government has committed to a National Youth Guarantee: that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. This is supported by a three-year investment of over £500 million in youth services, reflecting young people's priorities and addressing the inconsistencies in national youth spending with a firm focus on levelling up. Young people in Stockport will benefit from elements of the National Youth Guarantee, for example, a year-round National Citizen Service programme; increased access to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award; and volunteering opportunities through #iwill fund.As set out in section 507B of the Education Act 1996, Local Authorities have a statutory duty to ‘secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people’. This is funded from the Local Government settlement, the majority of which is un-ringfenced, allowing local authorities to spend on services according to local priorities, including on youth services. The settlement is anticipated to be almost £60 billion this year (FY 23/24) for councils in England - a 9% increase on the previous year.

BBC Radio: Local Broadcasting

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with Ofcom on the potential impact of the BBC's planned changes to local radio broadcasting on its public service obligations as set out in the BBC Charter, Agreement, and Operating Licence.

Julia Lopez: The Government remains disappointed that the BBC is planning to reduce parts of its local output. Ministers have met with the BBC on several occasions since the announcement where they have expressed our shared concerns in this House about the BBC’s plans.While it is up to the BBC to decide how it delivers its services, the Government is clear that the BBC must make sure it continues to provide distinctive and genuinely local radio services, with content that reflects and represents people and communities from all corners of the UK.The BBC is still required to deliver its remit as set out in the Charter and Agreement. It should prioritise using its £3.8 billion annual licence fee income as necessary to deliver that remit.Ministers met Ofcom before the publication of the BBC’s new Operating Licence to emphasise that the Government expects Ofcom, as regulator of the BBC, to ensure the BBC is robustly held to account in delivering its public service duties. In the publication of the new Licence, Ofcom sets out that it will hold the BBC to its commitments on local radio in England in relation to news and travel, breaking news and major incidents and its contribution to local democracy. Ofcom will be monitoring the BBC’s performance in this area closely and will step in if they are concerned the BBC is not delivering for audiences. Ofcom also plans to commission new research to better understand what audiences need and value from local services.

Local Broadcasting: Radio

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the role of local radio services in addressing loneliness.

Julia Lopez: Radio plays a vital role in helping to address loneliness, offering companionship and connection to listeners across the UK. Local radio from the BBC, commercial radio and community radio stations plays a unique role in connecting listeners and providing local information, entertainment and support. This was recognised by the joint government and industry Digital Radio and Audio Review, which highlighted evidence from WaveLength (a charity which gives media technology to lonely people living in poverty) showing that people feel less lonely after receiving a radio.In December 2020, as part of a £7.5 million funding package to help those most at risk of loneliness during the coronavirus pandemic, and in recognition of the value of local radio in particular in addressing loneliness, the Government provided £500,000 of support to local radio stations. £200,000 was made available through the Community Radio Fund to support community radio stations that were taking steps to tackle loneliness and isolation within their localities. £300,000 was made available through the Audio Content Fund to support independent producers making programmes targeted at alleviating loneliness for commercial and community stations.We will continue to explore ways in which we can continue to support the valuable work done by local radio broadcasters within their communities.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Training

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much her Department spent on staff training related to diversity and inclusion in 2022.

Julia Lopez: All staff were expected to complete Diversity and Inclusion e-learning on Civil Service Learning in 2022. All e-learning is free of charge to staff as it is covered by the department’s annual payment to access the Civil Service Learning platform.There was no dedicated budget for Diversity and Inclusion training in 2022.

Music Venues: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding her Department is providing to grassroots music venues in Stockport constituency.

Julia Lopez: The Government is committed to supporting our grassroots music venues, which are the lifeblood and research and development centres of our world-leading music sector.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in regular discussions with all parts of the music industry, including live venues at every level. We work with industry and across Government to improve the sector's economic resilience to future economic shocks, as we did through the pandemic, and the recent Energy Bills Support Scheme.On Stockport specifically, across all artforms and disciplines, Arts Council England have invested £4.45 million since 2018/19 in 56 projects. This includes 13 successful music specific applications, with examples for grassroots music venues as:Several Stockport-based DJs and music producers have received support via the Develop Your Creative Practice fund, most recently (in 2022) including producer and label owner Jamie Manion who received £8,000 to develop their music productions skills.In 2021, OmniMusic, a Stockport-based charity using assistive music technology to enable disabled and non-disabled musicians to make and play music received £14,600 for their ‘Reaching Out’ project.Three Stockport based projects received funding from the Culture Recovery Fund; two were individual DJ/producers and one was music based ‘Rising Stars North West Community Interest Companies’ - one of the few ethnic minority led arts, music, and creative media organisations in Stockport - received £71,000.

Freeview Service: Local Broadcasting

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with television providers on ensuring that Channel 7 and 8 on Freeview will be allocated to local TV once current licences end in 2025.

Julia Lopez: The Government recognises the important contribution and impact that local TV services make to our broadcasting ecosystem, and officials from my department meet regularly with both local TV providers and platforms.In the Broadcasting White Paper, we announced our intention to consult on our approach to the renewal or relicensing of the 34 local TV services whose licences expire in November 2025. Subject to the outcome of that consultation, the Government has no plans to change the status of local TV services under the current linear prominence regime set out in section 310 of the Communications Act 2003 (as modified by the Local Digital Television Programme Services Order 2012). Under that regime, the providers of regulated electronic programme guides must give appropriate prominence to local TV services.

Digital Technology: North Yorkshire

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of  people have access to digital media in (a) York and (b) North Yorkshire who are aged (i) between 60-69, (ii) between 70-79 and (iii) 80 and over.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will carry out a survey (a) in North Yorkshire and (b) nationally of preferences for receiving (i) radio and (ii) TV broadcasts (A) terrestrially and (B) digitally.

Julia Lopez: Ofcom produces its Media Nations report which reviews key trends in the media sector and sets out how audiences are served across, and in different parts of, the UK. It considers trends from a cross-platform perspective, including broadcast TV and radio, as well as digital delivery including online video and audio streaming. The most recent report was published in August 2022 and can be found here.Ofcom also publishes the results of a number of annual surveys addressing these issues, as well as an interactive dataset in the form of its annual Communications Market Report. Many of these publications include relevant analysis broken down by age group and/or geographic area. Ofcom’s interest covers all audiences and they are committed to ensuring variations, whether by geographic area, economic circumstance or digital skill set, are captured in their research programme and regulatory activity.My Department also commissions and publishes its own research on a range of topics, including in relation to radio and TV. For example, in February 2020, the Government commissioned the Digital Radio and Audio Review, which looked at the landscape for radio over the coming years, including research on future trends in radio and audio listening. The Review found, for example, that “smart speakers, which emerged only five years ago, are owned or accessed by a third of all adults, and account for 6% of all audio consumption”. It estimated that analogue radio listening estimates would account for just 12%-14% of listening by 2030, but that traditional radio, including FM services, was valued by many listeners – particularly those who were older or vulnerable. Current trends in listening are also available via RAJAR, the official body in charge of measuring radio audiences in the UK.In this context, the Department does not currently intend to commission any further surveys specifically in relation to audience preferences, but keeps its research programme under regular review.

BBC Radio: Local Broadcasting

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the BBC Board on the impact of its changes to the BBC local radio; and if she will make a statement.

Julia Lopez: The Government remains disappointed that the BBC is planning to reduce parts of its local output. Ministers have met with the BBC on several occasions since the announcement where they have expressed our shared concerns in this House about the BBC’s plans.While it is up to the BBC to decide how it delivers its services, the Government is clear that the BBC must make sure it continues to provide distinctive and genuinely local radio services, with content that reflects and represents people and communities from all corners of the UK.The BBC is still required to deliver its remit as set out in the Charter and Agreement. It should prioritise using its £3.8 billion annual licence fee income as necessary to deliver that remit.The Government also expects Ofcom, as regulator of the BBC, to ensure the BBC is robustly held to account in delivering its public service duties. Ofcom recently published a new BBC Operating Licence, which sets out that it will hold the BBC to its commitments on local radio in England. The BBC will be required to monitor the impact of changes on audiences and publish more information about how it delivers high quality, distinctive content and services for audiences across the UK. Ofcom will be monitoring the BBC’s performance in this area closely and will step in if they are concerned the BBC is not delivering for audiences.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Openreach: Standards

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of response times to customer complaints on the installation of Government-funded telecommunications infrastructure carried out by Openreach.

Julia Lopez: The Government follows an established response procedure for any external queries that are received. The Welsh Government is responsible for overseeing the delivery of Openreach’s superfast contract in Wales and should be able to assist with any queries regarding this programme.Ofcom has imposed measures to ensure that Openreach improves the services it offers by giving the company a number of performance targets. These include commitments for installing new lines on its existing network and repairing faults more quickly. Ofcom has also expanded the remit of its Openreach Monitoring Unit to include issues relating to the deployment of gigabit-capable networks following the introduction of the Wholesale Fixed Telecoms Market Review 2021-2026.Following the introduction of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022, which received Royal Assent in December last year, the Government intends to make regulations creating a legal requirement for operators to have a complaints procedure in place to handle complaints relating to their conduct, and setting out minimum standards which this process must meet.

Telecommunications: Codes of Practice

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of the Cabinet Siting and Pole Siting Code of Practice.

Julia Lopez: The Cabinet Siting and Pole Siting Code of Practice (the “Code of Practice”) was developed in 2016 by the Government, in collaboration with two major fixed-line operators and other interested parties. The Code of Practice provides guidance on ways operators can ensure these installations are placed appropriately, and that local authorities and communities are engaged with regarding the proposals.The Code of Practice is not mandatory, but the operators who helped develop and are signatories to it carry out a high proportion of all network delivery across the UK. We also understand a number of other operators are aware of, and adhere to, the Code of Practice. The Government has not undertaken any formal assessment of its effectiveness to date, but we are aware that Parliamentarians and constituents have concerns about the approach some operators are taking to deployment, particularly telegraph pole installations. Officials are working to raise awareness and encourage sign up to the Code of Practice across the sector and we will monitor progress.Separately to the Code of Practice, the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003 set out statutory requirements for telecoms operators subject to the Electronic Communications Code. We are focusing our attention on making sure that deployment happens in accordance with these existing regulations so that the impact on communities and the environment is taken into account and that broad support is maintained for the rollout of this critical infrastructure. We do not want to see poor operator practice undermine a programme that will ultimately be of huge value to the people we represent.With that in mind, I have written to all Local Planning Authorities, asking that they notify Ofcom and provide evidence of any instances where they believe operators have failed to comply with their duties under the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003. These duties include requirements to share apparatus where practicable; to use underground, rather than overground, lines where reasonably practicable, with certain exceptions; and when installing apparatus, to minimise the impact on the visual amenity of properties, potential hazards and interference with traffic as far as reasonably practicable.I have also written to the Chief Executive of Ofcom. As the independent regulator for telecommunications operators, Ofcom is able to investigate and take enforcement action in respect of breaches of the restrictions and conditions contained in the above regulations. I have asked that Ofcom ensure their enforcement powers are used when appropriate and that they keep me informed of any developments.

Broadband: Dartford

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help improve broadband infrastructure in Dartford constituency.

Julia Lopez: I am pleased to share that more than 98% of premises in Dartford can already access a superfast broadband connection and almost 81% have access to a gigabit-capable connection. Both of these figures are above the national average. Across the UK, over 75% of UK premises now have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection, which is a significant increase from just 6% in January 2019.The Government is committed to working with broadband suppliers to ensure 85% of UK premises can access gigabit-capable broadband by 2025, and then for nationwide coverage by 2030. We are on track to achieve our target.As part of Project Gigabit, the Government’s £5 billion mission to deliver lightning-fast, reliable broadband across the UK, we have begun launching procurements that give subsidies to broadband suppliers to build gigabit-capable infrastructure to premises that will not be reached by suppliers’ commercial plans alone.In December 2022, we launched a procurement covering Kent, which will improve broadband connectivity for up to 72,000 premises, including many in Dartford. We currently aim to award a contract to the successful supplier later this year.Constituents in Dartford have also made good use of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme which provides a subsidy of up to £4,500 for residents and businesses towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband. More than 85 premises in Dartford have received a fast, reliable connection through the voucher scheme, worth over £190,000.

Social Security Benefits: Broadband

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an estimate of the number of households that are eligible for broadband and mobile phone social tariffs in (a) Cynon Valley constituency, (b) Rhondda Cynon Taf local authority and (c) Wales.

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an estimate of the number of households that applied for (a) broadband and (b) mobile phone social tariffs in (i) Cynon Valley constituency, (ii) Rhondda Cynon Taf local authority and (iii) Wales in the latest period for which data is available.

Julia Lopez: The Government has worked with industry to bring a range of low-cost, high quality broadband and mobile social tariffs to the market, starting from just £10 per month, available in 99% of the country.Providers vary on their eligibility criteria for their social tariffs, therefore we do not hold the exact data regarding those eligible in the requested areas. However, receipt of Universal Credit is the most common eligibility criterion across providers. The Department for Work and Pensions Portal Stat-Xplore includes data on the number of people claiming Universal Credit, and this shows that there were approximately 6,000 households in Cynon Valley Parliamentary Constituency, 17,000 households in Rhondda Cynon Taf Local Authority and 215,000 households in Wales in this category in November 2022. This provides a useful proxy for social tariffs eligibility in those areas.The Department does not hold data relating to take-up in any geographical area. However, Ofcom’s Affordability Report (April Update) showed that 5.1% (220,000) of the 4.3 million households eligible were taking up a social tariff nationally. This represents a four-fold increase from January 2022.

Broadband: Social Security Benefits

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness of the availability of broadband and mobile phone social tariffs amongst those households eligible to apply.

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the number of applications for broadband and mobile phone social tariffs among households eligible to apply.

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department has had with broadband and mobile phone providers who do not offer a social tariff on the provision of such a tariff.

Julia Lopez: Currently, 22 social tariff packages are available from 19 providers, in various regions of the UK, from as little as £10 a month. Based on coverage of the current providers, social tariffs are available across 99% of the country. We continue to urge those providers who do not currently offer a social tariff to consider the steps they might take to bring a low-cost offer to the market. My department engages with the industry on these issues on an ongoing basis.We have taken steps to raise awareness of the availability of social tariffs. In November 2022, as part of Help for Households (and in collaboration with operators, charities and consumer groups), we launched a marketing campaign to raise awareness of social tariffs, using radio, press and television advertising to highlight that offers are available to households at this difficult time. Ofcom’s latest April 2023 Affordability Report shows that awareness has increased to 47% up from just 16% in January 2022. While we are pleased with the progress, we have also called on the telecoms industry to do more to ensure their customers know about the support available.Ofcom’s Report also showed that 5.1% (220,000) of the 4.3 million households eligible were taking up a social tariff. This is a four-fold increase from January 2022. There are a range of complex reasons why take up may not be as high as might be expected, including: the availability of existing low cost, commercial packages; the availability of bundled services allowing consumers to save money over a range of products (such as landline, mobile and pay TV); and public misconceptions about the reliability of the cheaper deals.

Broadband: Hornsey and Wood Green

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to take steps to help improve broadband infrastructure in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to help ensure that all households have access to fibre to the premises broadband in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.

Julia Lopez: The Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible. By 2025, the Government is targeting a minimum of 85% gigabit-capable coverage. As of April 2023, 78% of premises in Horney and Wood Green have access to gigabit-capable networks, up from just 1.7% in April 2020.Our pro-competition policies have made it as easy as possible for firms to build their networks in the UK by removing barriers to rollout and working with Ofcom to promote competition and investment. As a result, there is now a thriving market of over 80 providers investing nearly £35bn rolling out gigabit broadband all over the UK. This approach is the fastest and best value for the taxpayer as it allows us to focus government funding on the areas that would not otherwise be connected.The scale at which operators choose to build their networks in urban areas such as Hornsey and Wood Green is a commercial decision, and the Government is unable to intervene as we are bound by competition law, though we expect the vast majority of premises in Hornsey and Wood Green to be connected by the 2025 target.In order to further improve connectivity in Hornsey and Wood Green, we have published the Digital Connectivity Portal - extensive guidance to help local authorities facilitate broadband deployment. This includes technical information on the application of telecoms legislation, as well practical examples of best practice (such as the Street Works Toolkit for working in the country’s highways, and wayleave templates for telecoms operators to gain access to public sector land).The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology officials regularly facilitate meetings and workshops between local government and the broadband industry, to build relationships that foster more frictionless deployment. The four sub-regional partnerships across London have been vital in coordinating this work. For example, Local London, which represents the London Borough of Haringey, has worked with the Government on a number of initiatives.

Copyright: Data Processing

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department will proceed with its policy to introduce a new copyright and database exception which allows Text and Data Mining any purpose as announced on 28 June 2022.

George Freeman: The Government has already announced that it will not proceed with its previous policy for a broad copyright exception for data mining. Instead, it will work with AI developers and right holders to develop a code of practice by the Summer. The Government seeks to strike a balanced and pragmatic approach which allows AI innovators and the creative industries to grow in partnership.

Research: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support the (a) growth and (b) commercialisation of scientific research in the North East.

George Freeman: The Government has pledged to increase public investment in R&D outside the Greater Southeast by at least 40% by 2030, and by at least a third over the spending review period. North East universities received £12 million this year from the Higher Education Innovation Fund, which supports research commercialisation. The Northern Accelerator, a collaboration between North East universities to support spinouts based on their research, received £5 million. The UK’s Catapults de-risk the transition from research to commercial delivery. The 9 centres in the North-East include the Offshore Renewable Catapult in Blyth, Digital Catapult in Sunderland and Satellite Applications Catapult in Country Durham.

Our Future Health: Kidney Diseases

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including kidney function testing in the Our Future Health research programme.

George Freeman: Our Future Health continues to work in partnership with charities including Kidney Research UK to develop additional sampling strategies that may in future include an assessment of kidney function.

Ministry of Defence: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to Table 1f of the Office for National Statistics dataset entitled Research and development expenditure by the UK government, published on 30 March 2023, if she will make an assessment of the reasons for the decrease in total Departmental research and development expenditure excluding expenditure by the Ministry of Defence between 2020 and 2021.

George Freeman: UK Government investment in Research and Development is subject to changes between years that reflect the profile of long-term investments. The long-term trend is one of growing investment, with public expenditure on R&D set to increase to £20 billion per annum by Financial Year (FY) 2024/25 - a cash increase of around a third compared to FY2021/22. FY2020/21 saw significant one-off investments that did not continue to the same degree into FY2021/22. There was a one-time increase in infrastructure investment of £300 million via UKRI’s World Class Labs programme which concluded in 2021/22. FY2020/21 also saw a large increase in R&D expenditure for emergency Covid research, including vaccines.

Research: Darlington

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support the commercialisation of research and development in the science and technology sectors in Darlington.

George Freeman: The Government has pledged to increase public investment in R&D outside the Greater Southeast by at least 40% by 2030, and by at least a third over the spending review period. Darlington is home to a High Value Manufacturing Catapult centre, the National Biologics Manufacturing Centre. This £38 million biomedical manufacturing research centre has state-of-the-art facilities and expertise to support businesses in scaling new medicines, developing manufacturing solutions, and navigating the pathway towards commercialisation. Last year, the Government announced over £10 million for the catapult to set up the RNA Centre for Excellence, supporting the scale-up of RNA vaccines and therapies.

Department for Business and Trade

Liquefied Natural Gas: Mozambique

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on making an assessment of the human rights situation relating to the Mozambique LNG project.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on making an assessment of the human rights situation in Cabo Delgado and UK Export Finance's potential future support for Mozambique LNG.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on measures the Government is taking to improve the quality of human rights assessments used to inform UK Export Finance's decisions.

Nigel Huddleston: UK Export Finance (UKEF) strictly follows internationally recognised frameworks for managing environmental, social & human rights (ESHR) risks and impacts of relevant projects. Where UKEF provides support to such projects it undertakes on-going ESHR monitoring over the period of that support.

Liquefied Natural Gas: Mozambique

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will review the TotalEnergies-commissioned assessment by Jean-Christophe Rufin of the humanitarian situation in the Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique before taking a decision on whether to release UKEF support for Mozambique LNG ahead of operations restarting this year.

Nigel Huddleston: Officials from UK Export Finance (UKEF) have not seen the assessment but will review it when it becomes available. The declaration by TotalEnergies of force majeure remains in place. Officials from UK Export Finance are monitoring the situation closely.

Liquefied Natural Gas: Mozambique

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate she has made of when Totalenergies plans to lift the force majeure and restart work on the Mozambique LNG project.

Nigel Huddleston: The declaration by TotalEnergies of force majeure remains in place. Officials from UK Export Finance are monitoring the situation closely and will review new information as it becomes available.

Inflation: USA

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent discussions with the US Government on securing exceptions for UK companies under the US Inflation Reduction Act.

Nigel Huddleston: The Secretary of State and I, and DBT officials, are having regular discussions with the US at all levels to represent the interests of UK firms and ensure the UK benefits from any flexibilities in the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act. We will continue to work with the US on this issue, as well as engaging closely with other key trade partners, including the EU.

Iron and Steel: Import Controls

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the uptake of domestic scrap in UK steel production.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The uptake of domestic scrap in UK steel production depends on the decarbonisation pathways for specific steel sites. The appropriate decarbonisation pathways are a commercial decision for individual companies and will be based on multiple factors. The Government is working closely with companies as they make such decisions.Alongside this, there is an industry-led Scrap Working Group to look into domestic scrap generation and future steel sector requirements. This Group brings together the steel and metals recycling sectors, alongside innovation organisations, academia and government.

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the impact of rises in carbon costs on the competitiveness of the UK steel industry.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government remains committed to a decarbonised and competitive steel sector. Industrial sectors (including steel) have been able to bid into Government competitive funds worth more than £1 billion to support them to cut emissions and become more energy efficient.Additionally, UK Emissions Trading Scheme industrial participants, including in the steel sector, receive free allocations, mitigating the risk of carbon leakage. Free allocations are guaranteed at current levels until 2026, and we are reviewing how to target support to most at risk sectors thereafter. In March, the Government also published a consultation considering a range of potential policy measures to mitigate future carbon leakage risk and ensure UK industry has the optimal policy environment to decarbonise.

Supply Chains: Iron and Steel

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the economic impact of potential disruption in the global supply chain for steel; and what assessment she has made of the importance of the UK steel industry for economic security.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 April to question 181111.

Small Businesses: St Helens North

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what non-educational funding is available to support small businesses in St Helens North constituency that wish to (a) exhibit and (b) export trade overseas.

Nigel Huddleston: I refer the hon. Member for St Helens North to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hampstead and Kilburn on 17 April 2023 to Question UIN 176783.

Ethnic Groups: Equal Pay

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when she plans to publish the Government’s response to its consultation on ethnicity pay reporting, which closed in January 2019.

Kevin Hollinrake: Last month we published voluntary guidance for employers on ethnicity pay reporting. The ethnicity pay reporting consultation response will be published shortly.

Investment: Singapore

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department held a pre-negotiation consultations on the UK-Singapore bilateral investment treaty; and what are her Department's negotiating objectives for that treaty.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government has commenced negotiations with Singapore on a new, modern Investment Treaty. Pre-negotiation consultation was not appropriate as these talks fulfil an existing commitment made in the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the UK and Singapore to deepen existing mutual obligations on investment protection. In our negotiations with Singapore, we will seek to guarantee clear standards of fair treatment to each other’s investors. Any deal we sign will be in the best interests of the British people and the United Kingdom economy.

Palm Oil: Imports

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of tariff liberalisation for palm oil imports on deforestation in palm oil supplying countries; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of seeking a side letter with Malaysia to make tariff preferences contingent on environmental criteria.

Nigel Huddleston: Existing tariffs on palm oil from Malaysia are already low, and the Government's focus is on working with countries like Malaysia to support the sustainable production of palm oil, rather than seeking to stop palm oil entering the UK market altogether. It is encouraging that 72% of UK imports of palm oil were certified as sustainable in 2021, up from 16% in 2010, and that deforestation related to palm oil in Malaysia has fallen by 60% since 2012 (in the latest available figures - 2018).CPTPP provides the opportunity to strengthen cooperation with CPTPP members in addressing deforestation, and at accession we will publish a joint statement with Malaysia setting out our shared commitment to work together to promote sustainable production of commodities and protect forests.

Business: Flexible Working

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what incentives her Department plans to introduce to encourage businesses to offer flexible working arrangements that help enable jobseekers with SEND to access employment.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government is taking steps to encourage businesses to discuss and agree suitable flexible working arrangements with all workers and jobseekers, including those with SEND. In December 2022, we published our response to the “making flexible working the default” consultation. This committed to a range of measures, including making the right to request flexible working a ‘day one’ entitlement, by removing the existing 26-week qualifying period.We are also supporting the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill, which will make further changes to improve access to flexible working. Certain jobseekers with SEND may have the right to reasonable adjustments when applying for jobs, which businesses have a duty to consider.

Audit: Reform

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, in the context of the proposed Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her polices of the Financial Reporting Council’s decision to increase its funding, staff and remit prior to the draft Audit Reform Bill being published.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department supports the FRC’s decision to set a budget for 2023/24 that will enable it to deliver its regulatory functions and strengthen its capability, based on its current powers and responsibilities, and in preparation for the Government’s planned reforms to audit and corporate governance

Audit: Reform

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent discussions with the Leader of the House on when the draft Audit Reform Bill will be introduced to Parliament.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Secretary of State has frequent discussions with Cabinet colleagues; the Government’s legislative programme will be announced in due course.

Audit: Reform

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which Minster in her Department is responsible for audit reform; and what her timetable is for bringing forward the draft Audit Reform Bill.

Kevin Hollinrake: Ministerial portfolios for the Department for Business and Trade will be confirmed shortly. The Government is committed to legislating when Parliamentary time allows.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Alternative Fuel Payments

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department provided guidance to energy suppliers on the disbursement of first domestic alternative fuel payments to (a) home owners and (b) second homer owners.

Amanda Solloway: For the main Alternative Fuel Payment scheme, energy suppliers were obliged to pay customers during February, for which Government produced a list of eligible Meter Point Administration Numbers (MPANs) and told electricity suppliers to pay those customers. Guidance to suppliers on how this process should be completed was published on January 23rd and is available here:www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-alternative-fuel-payment-afp-scheme-in-great-britain-guidance-for-electricity-suppliers.

Alternative Fuel Payments: Second Homes

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 181618 on Alternative Fuel Payments: Second Homes, whether he has made an assessment of the potential risk of Alternative Fuel Payments being made to suppliers and paid directly to consumers without verification checks.

Amanda Solloway: The Alternative Fuel Payment scheme is being delivered by suppliers. Suppliers were obliged to pay customers during February, for which Government produced a list of eligible Meter Point Administration Numbers (MPANs) and told electricity suppliers to pay those customers. Guidance to suppliers on how this process should be completed was published on January 23rd and is available here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-alternative-fuel-payment-afp-scheme-in-great-britain-guidance-for-electricity-suppliers.

Alternative Fuel Payments: Second Homes

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what data he holds on the number and proportion of households that have not had an Alternative Fuel Payment applied by their energy supplier on the basis that they are (a) holiday or (b) second home owners.

Amanda Solloway: Electricity suppliers, who delivered the automatic enrolment element of the scheme, recently provided MPAN-level delivery data to Government. Transparency data will be published in due course.

Energy Bills Rebate: Care Homes

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of care home residents who have accessed the EBSS Alternative Funding as a proportion of the total number of care home residents.

Amanda Solloway: The Government do not at this stage have figures on the number of care home residents who have applied for the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding. The figures for the number of eligible households who have applied for the scheme will be available in May.

Energy: Meters

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the guidance by Ofgem entitled Involuntary PPM: Supplier Code of Practice, published on 18 April 2023, whether Ofgem plans to publish inspection reports on each supplier's activities related to involuntary prepayment meter installation.

Amanda Solloway: Ofgem has agreed the Code of Practice with suppliers, consumer groups and charities. The regulator will authorise suppliers to re-start installing prepayment meters only when it is satisfied that the suppliers have the right procedures in place. The Government sees the Code of Practice as a step in the right direction, with increased scrutiny of supplier practices and redress measures where prepayment meters were wrongly installed.

Energy: Meters

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the guidance by Ofgem entitled Involuntary PPM: Supplier Code of Practice, published on 18 April 2023, whether Ofgem plans to publish supplier board reports on all activities related to involuntary prepayment meter installation.

Amanda Solloway: Under Ofgem’s Supplier Code of Practice, Supplier Boards must have regular and ongoing oversight of all activities related to Involuntary PPM. This must include Director level sign-off of reporting provided to Ofgem. It is a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator, but Government will be watching closely to see that this is enforced, as required.

Energy: Meters

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the guidance by Ofgem entitled Involuntary PPM: Supplier Code of Practice, published on 18 April 2023, whether (a) Ofgem and (b) his Department has adopted standard (i) financial assessment protocols and (ii) decision matrices to assess the ability to pay of any household they have reason to believe has a medium risk characteristic.

Amanda Solloway: Ofgem has agreed the Code of Practice with suppliers, consumer groups and charities. The regulator will authorise suppliers to re-start installing prepayment meters only when it is satisfied that the suppliers have the right procedures in place.

Energy: Meters

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the guidance by Ofgem entitled Involuntary PPM: Supplier Code of Practice, published on 18 April 2023, whether Ofgem plans to make the record of supplier attempts to contact a customer available to each customer.

Amanda Solloway: As per the Code of Practice, suppliers will be required to maintain a record of each attempted contact with a customer. If the customer wishes to request a copy of this record they may do so, but this would be a matter for the customer and supplier.

Energy: Meters

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the guidance by Ofgem entitled Involuntary PPM: Supplier Code of Practice, published on 18 April 2023, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the requirement for a supplier to make at least 10 attempts to engage with a customer before the involuntary installation of a prepayment meter.

Amanda Solloway: The Government sees the Code of Practice as a step in the right direction, with better protections for vulnerable households and increased scrutiny of supplier practices. The Government has always been clear that, action is needed to crack down on the practice of forcing people onto prepayment meters, especially the most vulnerable. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will continue to work closely with Ofgem and industry to see that the code leads to positive changes for vulnerable consumers and won't hesitate to intervene again if necessary.

Solar Power: Cheshire

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate he has made of when the Aston Grange solar and energy storage project will be connected to the power grid.

Andrew Bowie: The Government does not hold information on, nor has it estimated, the network connection date for this project. The latest publicly available information on the connection of the Aston Grange project is provided on the Scottish Power Energy Networks Embedded Capacity Register: https://www.spenergynetworks.co.uk/pages/embedded_capacity_register.aspx.

Alternative Fuel Payments

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department plans to pay the Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding payments for eligible claimants who applied before the end of February 2023.

Amanda Solloway: Applicants should receive an update on their application within six weeks, but if this is not received, they should call the contact centre on 08081753287 where an agent can provide further information. The exact date that an eligible claimant will receive support will depend on when the application is made, its complexity, whether additional information is requested by the local authority, and when the payment can be processed by the relevant local authority.

Offshore Industry: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that any changes to The Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration, Production, Unloading and Storage (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2020 do not increase greenhouse gas emissions and marine impacts from oil and gas platforms.

Graham Stuart: The Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration, Production, Unloading and Storage (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2020 remain current and relevant to considering the environmental impacts of proposed offshore oil and gas exploration and production, offshore gas unloading and storage, and offshore capture and storage of carbon dioxide projects. Any future changes would seek to, as a minimum, maintain existing standards of environmental protection.

Wales Office

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Wales

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what information his Department collects on how the Shared Prosperity Fund has been spent by local authorities; whether his Department has input into the way Welsh local authorities spend that funding; what audits have taken place on the expenditure by local authorities from the Shared Prosperity Fund; and whether Welsh local authorities are required to display UK Government branding on projects funded through the Shared Prosperity Fund.

David T C Davies: Wales will receive £585 million through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) in the current SR period, replacing in full the amount Wales received in EU Structural Funds (ERDF and ESF). The Fund empowers communities to identify and build on their own strengths and needs at a local level. Local leaders, informed by their regional investment plans and working with local partners, decide how to spend UKSPF funding to create jobs, improve their local areas and support levelling up in Wales. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) administer the fund. Lead local authorities provide DLUHC with regular progress reports, outlining how UKSPF is being delivered across their region. These include total expenditure, updates on the delivery of individual programmes, and performance metrics with details on the outputs and outcomes generated. Projects funded under UKSPF are required to display UK Government branding. Information on the performance of UKSPF, and branding guidance for the Fund, is set out online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-additional-information. I intend to ensure that UKSPF delivers its objectives in all parts of Wales. I shall keep a close eye on how the Fund is being spent and what it is delivering. UKSPF will also be a standing item for my regular meetings with local leaders in Wales.

Ministry of Justice

Life Imprisonment

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the number of people convicted of murdering a person under the age of 18 who have received life imprisonment without parole since 2019.

Damian Hinds: Since the start of 2019, one offender has been sentenced to life imprisonment without parole (a whole life order) for the murder of a person under the age of 18. This was Damien Bendall who was convicted of the murder of his partner and three young children, and the rape of one of those children.The Government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act 2022 added the murder of a child involving a substantial degree of premeditation to the list of examples where a whole life order is normally the appropriate starting point when setting an offender’s minimum custodial term. It was already the case that a whole life order is the starting point for the murder of a child involving the abduction of that child or sexual or sadistic motivation.

Offenders: Employment

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of offenders who have had employment on release in each of the last 12 years.

Damian Hinds: We remain committed to increasing the number of prison leavers securing employment on release. The proportion of persons released from custody employed at six months from their release rose by almost two thirds between April 2021 and March 2022. This is an increase of 9 percentage points from 14% to 23%.We do not hold the information for the period requested for the reasons stated below.Employment on release was collected for a prison Key Performance Indicator which ran from 2007/08 to 2014/15. This data was based on self-reporting by prisoners at the point of discharge from custody, with no requirement for supporting evidence, and was discontinued in light of concerns over the reliability of the data. It was replaced by data collected by Community Rehabilitation Companies in nDelius; a system used for the management of offenders subject to probation supervision.Employment data collection in nDelius did not start until 2016. Specific direction to do so at the 6-week point was issued in 2021. Data prior to November 2018 is incomplete, therefore complete yearly data is provided for the 2019/20 financial year onwards and is not comparable to before November 2018.Statistics on employment at six weeks post release are available through the following link: Community Performance Annual, update to March 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Prisons: Education and Employment

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the proportion of prisons that have been graded inadequate or requires improvement for education, skills and work in each of the last 12 years.

Damian Hinds: This information is published annually by Ofsted. The latest Annual Report of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills 2021-22 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/Ofsted-annual-report-202122-education-childrens-services-and-skills/the-annual-report-of-his-majestys-chief-inspector-of-education-childrens-services-and-skills-202122#prisons.H M Prison & Probation Service closely monitors work in response to Ofsted recommendations, and tracks progress against them for both the prison and the provider. Prison regimes had to be severely restricted during the Covid-19 pandemic, and were slow to recover. While this was beyond the control of the education providers, it has inevitably had an impact on grade profiles. However, recent Ofsted inspections have started to see an improvement in both the narrative and grades.

Prisoners: Police Custody

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to avoid overuse of Operation Safeguard.

Damian Hinds: To ensure we have sufficient prison capacity both in the immediate and the longer term, we are implementing a suite of measures to reduce the demand pressures on the prison system and to provide additional capacity. We are delivering 20,000 additional modern prison places, the largest prison build programme since the Victorian era, ensuring the right conditions are in place to rehabilitate prisoners, helping to cut crime and protect the public. As of end of April, we have already delivered c. 3,400 of these additional places, including through the brand-new prison, HMP Five Wells, which opened last year. Furthermore, we have delivered c.700 extra temporary places through modular units. Operation Safeguard is a contingency measure that provides additional headroom for use if prisoners cannot be accepted from the courts or police custody. It is a temporary measure to provide a short-term solution. When Operation Safeguard is active, tactical and operational governance reviews take place at regular intervals, as agreed with police partners.

Ministry of Justice: Training

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent on staff training related to diversity and inclusion in 2022.

Damian Hinds: All MoJ Civil Servants have the opportunity to complete the free, central Civil Service Expectations online training. To provide a fuller response, Ministry of Justice officials would need to ascertain the facts in relation to all teams with the ability to procure training, which could only be done at disproportionate cost to the department. To reach a factual conclusion each individual or team’s learning would need to be collated and investigated to identify and extract all information pertaining to D&I learning. Therefore, the complexity and scale of our operations, retrieving the data on the exact amount spent on diversity and inclusion training would require significant resources and time, which would result in a disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Justice: Bidfood

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what items were procured by his Department from BFS Group on 1 January 2021.

Damian Hinds: On 1 January 2021 there were no items procured from BFS Group. This has been verified by BFS Group.

Court of Protection

Sir Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the report entitled Mental capacity small payments scheme: Government response, published on 28 February 2023, whether his Department plans to publish its plan for improving the Court of Protection Property and Affairs order process.

Edward Argar: Whilst there are no plans to publish anything further on this, the ongoing improvements of the online property and affairs applications process at the Court of Protection are iterative and include ongoing development of the online applications process, user testing, reviewing and revising the court forms and supporting guidance and clearer information on Gov.UK. Forms required for paper applications are also under review and revision. Initial improvements were rolled out for all court users in February 2023, resulting in application waiting times being reduced from 24 weeks to 8 weeks.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Personal Independence Payment claims are awaiting a hearing attached to each of the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) regional offices.

Edward Argar: Information about appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) is published at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics. As at end of December 2022 (the latest period for which data are available), the number of Personal Independence Payment appeals awaiting a hearing for each of the SSCS Regional Processing Centres are shown below:  Personal Independence Payment appeals1Processing CentreNo. Ready to ListNo. Listed for HearingTotal OutstandingBirmingham4,1601,5667,519Bradford3,2897755,159Cardiff2,4381,3366,128Glasgow1,5784262,675Leeds2,2831,5305,151Liverpool3,5703945,414Sutton2,0629594,347Unallocated 28123Total19,3886,98736,407 1. Personal Independence Payment (New Claim Appeals) which replaces Disability Living Allowance was introduced on 8 April 2013, also includes Personal Independence Clams (Reassessments)2. Unallocated relates to appeals that have not yet been allocated to a Processing Centre.Management information reflects the data held on the case management system, which is subject to change, and can differ from the quality-assured MOJ official statistics, which form the agreed definitive position.Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that the data have been extracted from large administrative data systems. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when data are used.

Child Trust Fund: Learning Disability

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications to the Court of Protection by parents or guardians of children with learning disabilities hoping to access their Child Trust Fund were (a) made and (b) successful in the last year for which data is available.

Edward Argar: According to management information provided by the Court of Protection, it received 18 applications in 2022 where a Child Trust Fund was the sole asset, and all applications were successful. This does not include those cases where a Child Trust Fund may be one of several assets owned by the young person lacking capacity as it is not possible to identify these cases centrally.

Prison Accommodation

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison cells were (a) built and (b) removed in each year since 2010.

Damian Hinds: The operational capacity of the prison estate is best understood by the number of places rather than number of cells, and this is how data is recorded by HMPPS. On 12 January 2023, we advised that since 2010 approximately 10,000 permanent prison places have opened. This includes expansions to existing prisons and the opening of new prisons, including HMP Five Wells which opened in February 2022 and provides up to c.1700 prison places. Additionally, since 2010, around 1,000 places have changed function from holding immigration detainees in two Immigration Removal Centres, to holding prisoners in permanent prison places. Since this date, a further 48 places have been delivered at HMP Norwich through use of Rapid Deployment Cells (RDC). The units have been designed to help meet current demand while permanent and long-term capacity is being built. Furthermore, the brand new HMP Fosse Way will open in Spring this year and construction is well underway on our newest prison, HMP Millsike, at Full Sutton in Yorkshire which will open in 2025. These prisons will deliver over 3,000 places between them. The below table provides a summary of the number of prison places which have a) opened and b) closed in each year since 2010. Please note that, for simplicity, all places relating to a prison opening are included in the year that the prison opened. In practice, a new prison may take more than a year before reaching its final operational capacity.YearPlaces openedPlaces permanently closed.201014790201124066420123006588201310129872014011220151259816201601296201720009662018580**5802019206530202009092021353**1080202217151122023*4840Total10,98710,680*Information correct as of 21 April 2023** Re-role of HMP The Verne (2018) and HMP Morton Hall (2021) from Immigration Removal Centres to Adult Male Prisons.

Prisons: Employment

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made on the total number of adjudications issued due to prisoners refusing to work in each year since 2010.

Damian Hinds: The prisoner discipline system upholds justice in prisons and ensures incidents of prison rule-breaking have consequences. The Ministry of Justice monitors adjudication outcomes by offence, age, gender, ethnicity, religion and adjudicator, this data is published quarterly and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly. The number of adjudication charges issued due to prisoners refusing to work or attend work can be found in the table below. YEAR2010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022NUMBER OF CHARGES*10681079828922941823811707644184138487*The 2010 figure has not been provided due to data quality issues with the 2010 adjudications data.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

Voter Authority Certificates

Owen Thompson: To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Committee has had recent discussions with the Electoral Commission on the level of sign up for the Voter Authority Certificate.

Cat Smith: The Committee discussed access to and uptake of Voter Authority Certificates at its recent public evidence session in March. A transcript of the session is available on the Committee's website.The Commission has said that while increases in awareness of voter ID requirement has been strong, Voter Authority Certificate applications were lower than might have been expected.I has noted that this may reflect the number of people wanting to vote in these elections, take-up of postal and proxy voting, or that some voters have not applied in time for the deadline.The Commission will consider the levels of take-up and the reasons for this as part of its evaluation of the implemention of voter ID. The will include detailed public survey work.